


The Becomings of Wardens

by Rainingsparrows



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anal Sex, Blood Magic, Darkspawn, Ferelden, Frottage, Grey Warden Joining, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Near Death, Oral Sex, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Orlais, Romance, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-05-19 15:17:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 43,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5971663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainingsparrows/pseuds/Rainingsparrows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story features original characters set in the world of Thedas. There will be characters from the games and literature mentioned in this story though, but they are not the main focus of my story. </p><p>This story follows two young boys as they are recruited by Duncan, to become Grey Wardens. The recruits go through a lot together and they start to feel more than a brotherly bond, but rather a growing attraction towards each other. But being a Grey Warden, even a recruit, isn't easy or safe. The boys have to fight to survive, both for themselves and for each other!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Simon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introduction  
> The year is 9:12 Dragon, and the Grey Wardens have only two years before been allowed into Ferelden again by King Maric, after being expelled because of Sofia Dryden's rebellion 200 years earlier. The Grey Wardens still don't have an outpost in Ferelden yet, as the organization is still slowly building itself up, starting in Denerim. This is where our story begins. The story of the becoming of not one, but two Grey Wardens and their adventure.

**Part I**  
A tiny pickpocket roamed the streets of Denerim looking for a decent mark. The young boy, dark haired and slim, quickly found one. A sturdy looking man with shiny steel armor, held in place by leather straps that covered his upper body and arms, stood at an armor shop talking to a merchant. Under the plate, he had a chain mail with blue fabric woven in and a dyed leather armor. On his back, he had two swords in black sheaths. On his hip the boy noticed that the man wore a small pouch which bounced a bit with each movement the man made. The boy closed his eyes to listen in. There it was, a jiggle of what sounded like coins. The boy crouched down and sneaked closer, trying not to drag any attention from the merchants or other people around. He grabbed for his small knife and cut the pouch from the man’s belt, before he ran as fast as he could away from the yelling man.

“Stop that boy!” the man shouted and the yelling spread around from the merchants. Some tried to block the boy but he just slid between the open legs and kept on running. Looking back to see if anyone were following, an arrow flew past two inches from his face. Really? It was only a pouch! Not wanting to get hit by an arrow, he slid into a side alley to take a shortcut to his hideout. This alley was so narrow that the boy, small as he was could barely squeeze through. On the other side, he laughed from the angry yells from the grown men who were too big to fit through and had to run around the entire block to get to him. The boy chuckled and simply walked into the crowd and disappeared from view using skills he'd learned over the years on the streets as a pickpocket.

Safe at his hideout, the boy looked through his loot from the day. Two pouched containing 4 golden pieces and 50 silver ones. This was a great catch indeed! Two golden necklaces and a jeweled ring too. Finally, it was the last leather pouch from the tall armored man. The boy was very disappointed when he saw the copper pieces and a steel signet ring. Who wore steel rings?! He looked closer on the signet and noticed the Griffin. The boy knew that he should know what the symbol stood for, but nothing came to mind. He put it on his thumb, as it was the only finger large enough for it to fit. Smiling for himself the boy crawled out from his hideout at the docks, under the large crates that no one ever used and walked into the city again wanting to spend some of his golden coins. Well into the market district, he walked straight to the baker and got himself something to eat before he went to the jeweler to sell the necklaces and ring which he got another three sovereigns for. In one day, he’d earned seven sovereigns! A new record for him. Then he tried to sell the signet ring. The jeweler took his time to study the ring before he curiously asked,

“Where have you gotten this, boy? This is clearly not yours!”

“Of course it's mine! I found it in the street ove-”

“GUARD!” the jeweler shouted and within a second, the boy felt a strong hand around his arm.

“You found another thief for me?” the guard asked with an evil grin on his face. “Well, I guess I'll just take him with me to the dungeon for the night, huh boy?”

“Let. Me. GO!” the boy said, kicking the guard with each word.

“Ha ha ha! Let's go boy, tomorrow you're losing your hands!” he said, still with the evil grin and grabbed the collar shirt with his hand then he whispered into the boys ear “But before that we have to have some fun, won't we?” then he grabbed the boys behind and gave it a hard squeeze with his hand.

With the guard changing his grip, the boy lifted his arms and slid right out from his large shirt, grabbed the ring from the jeweler and ran as fast as he could, with the cursing guard right behind him. Not far away from the side alley, he tried changing course over there, but now another guard blocked his path and grabbed his naked arm and pushed it painfully behind the boys back. Panting behind him came the first guard still cursing.

“Fucking little rat! I'll make you pay for making me look like a fool like that!” he looked around and pointed to another alley, “Let’s take him over there for a lesson shall we?” he finished winking to the guard who nodded and pushed the boy in the direction of the dark alley.

Away from view of the street, the guard started beating down on the boy, striking him with their chain gloves over his naked back. The boy yelled out in pain but one of the guards came behind him and put his hand over his mouth, silencing him. The other guard landed a hard blow to the boy’s stomach, knocking out all the air from his lungs. The boy fell to his knees and what felt like a wooden stick slashed over his back so the boy landed face down on the ground. Unable to breathe the boy couldn't make a sound as he felt his body being brutally beaten down by the guards. Then it stopped. No more pain. The boy thought it was finally over, when he heard the sound of the guards laughing and a belt being loosened. Thinking the worst, he opened his eyes just in time to see an armored boot swinging at his face, knocking him unconscious.

When the boy woke up hours later, he was alone in a cell, naked and cold. Around him were cold stonewalls and an iron barred door, leading out to a hall. The boy closed his eyes as the pain hit him all over. The wounds on his back were bleeding slightly. He also felt a deep pain in his behind as well. He cursed to himself as he figured out that they had indeed done it. He curled up and lay there sobbing when he heard a door open out in the hall. Then a pair of deep male voices.

“We found it on him. He tried to sell it to one of our informants.”

“As long as I have the ring again, my superiors will be happy. But I want to see the boy as well. Is it over there?”

“Yes. Why do you want to see him? He is just a pickpocket!”

“That's none of your concern. May I talk to him alone?”

“As you wish Lord Commander.”

Then the sound of footsteps followed for almost an entire minute before they stopped. The boy, still curled up in the corner of his cell, looked up at the door where a familiar figure stood. The plated warrior that he'd stolen the pouch from stood there looking down on him. The light outside the cell made the warrior's face hidden to the boy who only noticed the coal black hair, tied up in a ponytail.

“Hello again.” the warrior said, “Do you know who I am?”

The boy looked down, not bothering to answer. He had nothing to lose by not answering this armored fool.

“Open the door.” the man said and the sound of another pair of footsteps, followed by the sound of the lock being turned was heard before the boy looked up again. The warrior opened the door and stepped into the cell, crouched down and looked over the boy’s body, glancing over the bleeding wounds on the back and bruised body. Now the boy could see that the face of the warrior. He had a tanned skin and deep brown eyes, much like himself. The man looked around twenty years old to the boy. Now the boy also noticed that the man had a starting beard and an earring. What a strange man, the boy thought. He didn’t look Ferelden, maybe a Riviani or a mix. The boy had seen men much like this man, down at the docks.

“Sit up, please.” The man said with a concerned look on his face. The boy did as he was told and sat up, leaning against the cold stonewall.

“What's your name?”

“Simon.”

“Simon... My name is Duncan, I'm a Grey Warden.”

Now the ring made sense to Simon. The Griffin was the emblem for the Grey Wardens of Thedas, sworn to defend the world against the Darkspawn Blights. He'd heard stories about them when roaming the streets of Denerim, listening in on conversations. Sometimes information were even more valuable than gems.

“W-what do you want? I see you already have your ring back, so I don't have anything you’d want.” he said and noticed the Griffin ring Duncan wore on his little finger.

“Yes, it was given back to me just before I came to see you, which brings me back to your question... I'm looking for recruits. You're too young right now to be initiated into our ranks, but from what I could see while chasing you, you possess agile skills and you're quick-witted. I would like to get you trained to one day become a Grey Warden.”

“The boy is set for punishment tomorrow Lord Commander. He's just another pickpocket, there is plenty more around in the other cells for you to-” the guard outside started but was cut off by Duncan,

“I didn't ask you. Many have tried to steal from me before, but none have ever been successful, other than this boy here.” Duncan said looking with anger at the guard. “I would advise you to be quiet from here on or I will silence you.” then Duncan looked at Simon again and all anger was gone from his face.

“This is a one-time offer I'm afraid. I'm leaving Denerim as soon as I'm finished here, and I would like you to join me Simon. Do you accept?”

“What if I don't?” the boy asked, not sure he liked the sound of being a Grey Warden. From the little he knew about them, they lived short lives!

“Then this guard here will escort me out, leaving you here in the darkness until your hearing tomorrow. Then you will most likely lose either one or both of your hands. Hands that would have been much more useful swinging a blade or nock an arrow. What do you say?” Duncan said, standing up and looking down on the naked boy, deep in thought.

“I accept. I like my hands quite a lot!” he said smiling faintly before painfully standing up.

“Excellent. You,” Duncan turned to the guard, “I claim this boy by the right of Conscription for the Grey Wardens. Bring me his clothing and personal effects.” Duncan said and the guard nodded and left the cell in a hurry.

“Right of Conscription?” Simon asked Duncan.

“The Right of Conscription is a means for our organization to get sufficient recruits. We can then demand anyone, king or criminal, to join our ranks. We especially use it when someone’s fate is sealed in some way. The Chantry isn't very fond of this, as we may use it on Apostates, rouge mages.” he added when he noticed the confused look on Simon's face, “And as the Chantry has the say in their fate, they aren't very fond of them being set lose on the world. As you might know, the Chant of Light states that 'magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him' but the Chantry fails to see that there are worse things in this world than Apostates. It takes decades for the world to recover from a Blight, and the power from mages are an important part of stopping them.” A minute later the guard came running back, holding Simon's clothing, dagger and his coin pouch. He quickly dressed, fastened his dagger on his waist then he left the cell with Duncan.

Simon followed Duncan in silence out from the dungeons and out a pair of huge wooden doors and out to daylight. It took a second for Simon to get used to the bright light, but as soon as he did, he could see the whole of Denerim. They were up at Fort Drakon, the tallest structure in Denerim. The fort itself was more like a tower, resting on top of the highest hill in Denerim.

“Do you have anyone you need to say goodbye to?” Duncan asked as they started walking again.

“I don't have anyone. I grew up alone.” Simon said and shrugged his shoulders as they walked down the hill from Fort Drakon.

“Then we'll group up with my fellow Wardens and we're off to Montsimmard to join the Orlesian Wardens.” Duncan finished and soon after, they reached the main gates of Denerim. Three people waited for them. The first was a rather huge looking man, with a long two-handed greatsword on his back and wore the same thick armor as Duncan. The second was also a man and had scaled armor with leather along the joints. He also had a long wooden bow and looked Dalish, but Simon thought he might be a city elf, as he didn't have any facial tattoos. The third one was a woman in a long colorful robe with a long white staff on her back held by straps.

“I see you found him.” The Dalish said and looked suspiciously at Simon.

“I did. He'll stay with us till Orlais. At least as far as Jader, possibly Montsimmard if it comes to that.” Duncan said before he turned to Simon again.

“Simon, this is Saunders Ivo, Tanyl and Katarina, my fellow Ferelden Wardens.” First, the human with the great-sword bowed, then the Dalish archer nodded and finally the woman with the staff gave a little wink to Simon, which made him blush. Soon after the five of them walked out of the city gates, but outside Duncan had a surprise for him.

“This... Is Kramer, your new horse.” Duncan said and brought a beautiful black horse over to Simon. “So far he has pretty much only been carrying equipment, but we'll spread the equipment over on the other horses as well so he can carry you as well. He's strong and very kind. You can touch him if you want to.” he added when he saw the slightly frightened look on Simon's face. Very slowly, Simon reached out and put his hand on Kramer's head. The deep and dark eyes of the horse calmed Simon down slightly... He didn't seem so bad, he though. And with that they headed west on The Imperial Highway along the Coastlands.

A after almost five days riding, Simon's inner thighs hurt so bad that by the time they set camp at the shores of Lake Calenhad, Simon walked bow legged.

“You'll get used to it.” Saunders Ivo said as he set up a small tent. “We have five or six more days of riding, and by the end of it you'll feel better, or worse.” he said with a laugh.

“That doesn't help now!” Simon said and stroked his sore muscles before helping setting up the camp. During the ride here, Simon hadn't said much, but had listened in to what the others were talking about very closely. He'd learned that they were going to Orlais to meet up with the Orlesian Warden Commander. The First Warden had, for some unknown reason ,summoned Duncan and the other Commanders of Grey to Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels. They set up the remaining tents and made a fire for the night. Simon didn't have a tent of his own, so he slept next to the fire. He'd never been this far from Denerim before. The sound from the huge lake calmed Simon and made him fall asleep much quicker than he'd normally would. He had very pleasant dreams. Dreams of wearing a fantastic plate armor and swinging a huge sword at a dragon. He was just about to deal the killing blow when he was shook awake and he heard a whisper,

“Wake up! Simon wake up!” it was Tanyl and by the tone of his voice, it was serious.

“Be on your guard... There is more than one out there.” he heard Duncan say.

Simon sat up. It was still dark and the fire was burning very low. He looked around at the others and saw that all of them had their armor on. Tanyl had his bow up and scouted into the darkness while Katarina stood still with her eyes closed and listened.

“They're here.” Duncan said and drew his dual swords just as something came out from the dark. Simon screamed when he saw it. It had dark green skin, no hair, a face that looked like it had hit a wall and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Its armor seemed unusually spiky and it wielded a powerful greataxe, but it was not alone. Around eleven or twelve others came out from the darkness and ran with their swords and axes raised. Simon got up and tried to run away, but he fell to the ground. The first creature caught up with him and jumped to the air and swung it's greataxe with both hands. Simon could only close his eyes and wait for the blow to hit. He heard a scream from the creature and it was thrown ten feet back, now burning. Its axe landed inches from Simon's head with a deep 'thug' as it hit the ground. It was Katarina that had saved him, slinging a fireball at the creature and now conjured ice to cover up another one, stopping it dead in its tracks. Duncan was already busy slashing away at two creatures at once while Tanyl loosened arrow after arrow to help. Saunders Ivo stood in the middle of a ring of the creatures, maybe four or five and slashed at them with wide swings of his greatsword.

Then Simon heard a noise from behind, different from the screams and clings of swords; muffled footsteps. Simon looked to where the sound came from, but didn't see anything. Just as he grabbed for his dagger, a creature appeared almost out of thin air. This one was different from the others, more animal like. It wore a ligther armor, maybe leather, and instead of a sword or axe, it had claws as long as daggers on each hand. It growled as it ran towards him, raising its claws and slashed at him. Simon managed to dodge the first one, but miss-stepped and fell on his back, again! The creature jumped on him and aimed its hands in for his throat. With all the strength he could master, Simon plunged his dagger as hard as he could up and into the creature's chest. A scream, louder than anything else around filled Simon's ears then dark, warm blood flooded down his hands from the wound in the creature. This didn't kill it however and now it looked down on Simon, growled and aimed his sharp teeth for his neck. An arrow came out from no-where and hit the creature through its head and it fell down over Simon.

“Simon?! Are you alright?” Duncan shouted as he ran over and pushed the smelly creature away from Simon.

“I-I'm fine. It's not mine.” Simon said when Duncan examined the blood that covered his arms and chest.

“Not bad kid.” Tanyl said as he walked over, putting an arrow back in the quiver again. “Hadn't you struck your blade in that Shriek, I wouldn't have noticed it in time to save you.” he said with a smile.

“Shriek? Is that what this- thing is?” Simon asked and looked over at the creature.

“It's one of the Darkspawn.” Duncan said as he helped Simon sit up again. “All of these are. The other ones were Hurlock Darkspawn. Seems you killed the worst one of them.”

“Just a small raid party.” Saunders Ivo said as he too came over, drying off his blade. The spot he had been fighting the Darkspawn looked like a massacre. Mangled body parts laying all over the ground, and now and then a burning body after Katarina's fireballs.

“Is he alright?” Katarina said as she too walked over.

“He's fine. Not many would have been able to do what he did. Shrieks can sneak up on pretty much anybody, but you managed to notice it before it had its jaw around your head.” Tanyl said laughingly at Simon.

“A Shriek?!” Katarina said in shock, “And you survived? Well done! Seems like you picked a good recruit this time Duncan.” she added and looked at Duncan who nodded and smiled down at Simon.

“I don't sense any others nearby right now, but we should stay on guard. Tanyl, you take first watch, then Katarina. By then it should be morning. Simon, come here. We need to get you changed out from those bloody clothes.”

Duncan put his arm around the shivering Simon and led him down to the lake to get him cleaned up. Simon pulled off his garments and walked into the lake, dipping his body in the cold water. As he felt the dark blood being washed away, Simon felt a sense of pride that he'd never felt before. Everyone knew about the Darkspawn, but they were mostly a Dwarven problem in the Deep Roads. Simon had always wanted to see the Deep Roads. It was said they lead to all sorts of different Thaigs, underground fortresses made by the dwarfs, and that in many of those lost Thaigs, there were treasure beyond imagination. Almost all the great Dwarf cities had been lost to the Darkspawn over the years and now only two of the great cities were still standing, Orzammar and Kal-Sharok. The Dwarfs in these great Thaigs faced Darkspawn daily, but they always managed to push them back, but this didn't stop the Dwarfs from getting heavy losses against the Darkspawn. And knowing that he, Simon, a cut purse and pickpocket had slain a beast that killed the mighty Dwarven warriors on a daily basis was so...

“Get out from there or you'll freeze to death!”

The sound of Duncan's voice snapped Simon back to reality. He took one last dip in the water washing out the blood from his hair and walked back to shore where Duncan stood waiting with dry clothes.

“You should get some rest. We leave early tomorrow morning. The rest of us will clean up here and move the bodies.” he said and turned his back as Simon got dressed again.

“Move them where?”

“We will move them to a place where we can burn them. Leaving Darkspawn corpses could corrupt flesh eating animals and taint them, in turn make them into something just as evil as Darkspawn.” Duncan said as he turned around to walk Simon back to the camp. Simon looked at his hands and where the blood from the Shriek had flowed down his arm.

“Don't worry. As long as the blood doesn't come in contact with yours, or you ingest it, you're safe.” Duncan said reassuringly.

The next day Simon woke up to the sound of Tanyl that tried to pack his stuffed pack with more stuff, as he cursed in some unknown tongue. When he saw that Simon was awake, he gave him a warm smile.

“Good morning. Sleep well?” he said as he gave his pack one last push before he gave up and started packing in another bag.

“Y-Yeah. As good as anyone could expect after...”

Tanyl looked up and noticed Simon's thoughtful face.  
“You did better than any of us expected, maybe except from Duncan. You should take pride in that fact. Hurry and pack up your things, we're leaving soon.” and with that Simon started packing the few things he had brought with; his dagger and his spare clothes.

During the light of day, Simon could clearly see the Circle Tower in the middle of Lake Calenhad. The place where all of Ferelden's mages were brought to learn to control their magic powers under the strict rule of the templars of the Chantry. They had only been riding for 20 minutes when they saw the smoke in the distance. Black and thick smoke rising in several pillars.

“Looks like...” Duncan mumbled before he suddenly forced his horse into gallop towards the smoke. The four others quickly followed Duncan through the forest. Before long, they reached the outskirts of a small village. It might have been a thriving village at some time, but now the small houses were almost completely burnt down. A few houses still stood though, but none of them were untouched. Doors were kicked in and all over the grounds lay bodies. Men, women and children.

“So this is where the Darkspawn came from.” Tanyl said with disgust in his voice.

“Spread out and look for sign of where the Darkspawn came from and survivors.” Duncan said and dismounted his horse, the others did the same.  
Simon almost threw up from the smell. Most bodies had slashing wounds, but a lot of them also had huge chunks of flesh torn from their bodies. He forced himself to look away from the mangled bodies and started to walk towards one of the few still standing houses, smaller than the other ones it could have been a shed for farming equipment. The door was half open and creaked when Simon slowly pushed it open. Inside there were more bodies, but not human. Three Darkspawn bodies lay spread on the dirt floor.

“What the-” was all Simon were able to say before someone jumped him from behind the door. He was pushed, face down into the dirt and felt someone sit on his back and then he felt a cold blade push against his throat.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” a boyish voice almost whispered. “Answer me!”  
Simon used his reflexes to quickly roll onto his back, forcing the one on top of him to fall on the ground. He quickly stood up and pulled his small dagger to face the one threatening him. It was a boy, maybe 14 years old with short blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a thin leather armor and wielded a dagger much like his own. He too had gotten off the ground and now faced him with anger in his face.

“I'll ask one more time. Who are you?!” The boy shouted at Simon, but Simon knew better than to answer. He changed his grip on his dagger making it easier to deflect any incoming blows.

“Daniel... Stop.” a weak voice said from behind a large stack of crates.  
“I don't think-”

“he doesn't sound like one of those creatures Daniel. Lower your weapon.” the voice said again.

The boy lowered his dagger just as the four others came running into the small shed. All of them had their weapons at the ready, but lowered them as soon as they saw the young boy.  
“You... you are-” the boy stammered as he looked at the emblem on Duncan’s chest.

“Grey Wardens.” Duncan said calmly as he put his swords back into the sheaths on his back. “And who are you may I ask?”

“He is Daniel, my squire.” the voice said again, weaker than last time. Daniel quickly ran to the back of the crates and the others followed.Behind the crates lay a man, a knight by the looks of him, wearing thick plated mail. On the chest it had a familiar symbol, a burning sword. Even though the armor was thick, he was bleeding from several deep cuts in his once shiny armor.

“Hold on Ser Aron. Please.” Daniel said as he grabbed the knight’s hand.

“Are you a-” Katarina asked but was cut off by Sir Aron.

“-a templar of the Chantry, yes.” Sir Aron said and closed his eyes from the pain. “I came here looking for an apostate that have been seen walking around here. We were just about to leave when they came out from the dark.”

“The Darkspawn.” Duncan said shaking his head. “How many people were in this village?”

“Only about 20 or so. None had any military training at all and were slaughtered by the creatures. Didn't really help running from them either as they are small, but fast.” Sir Aron finished and tried to sit up with the help from Daniel.

“And you and the boy, how did you end up in here?” Saunders Ivo asked as he looked on the Darkspawn corpses on the ground.

“I knew that we wouldn't be able to outrun them or fight that many of them by myself. My squire might be brave, but having a dozen of the creatures on him at once would surely kill him. So we retreated in here.” he said looking around the room. “It almost worked, but one of the other villagers ran for the door here and dragged five of them with her. Two of them grabbed her and carried her off while the three last ones came in here.” Sir Aron managed to say before he began coughing up blood. By the looks of it, he had already lost a lot of blood. His face was almost as pale as on the bodies outside.

“I managed to kill one of them off as soon as it entered the door,” Sir Aron continued “but the two others hacked at me before I could raise my blade at them. That was when Daniel stepped in.” He said and looked warmly at his squire. “He thrust his blade deep into first one and before the other last one could turn around, he had all but cut off its head.”

“Ser Aron?!” Daniel shouted and looked in horror as his master couched up more blood.

“Katarina...?” Duncan said and turned to the mage.

Katarina stepped forward and crouched down next to the wounded templar. She put one of her hands on the largest of his wounds and closer her eyes.  
“It's... Too late.” she finally said and opened her eyes. “You have lost too much blood. None of my healing can help as you have traces of the taint in your blood as well.”

“I've accepted my fate long ago. I'm part happy that it weren't an apostate that took me down.” Sir Aron said. “May I ask something from you, Grey Warden?” He looked up at Duncan. “That you take Daniel with you. He is a very good squire and would have made a fine templar someday. May I ask he become a Grey Warden?”

“Joining our order isn't something to be considered lightly as many recruits die before they even get to join our ranks. I will not let him join, especially since he is so young.” Duncan said and looked at the templar with a serious look.

“But you let me join you..?” Simon said a little hurt since this squire seemed older than him.

“You managed to sneak up on me, something not many people have and you were going to get your hands cut off Simon.” Duncan said simply. “Young Daniel here have his whole future ahead of him, none of it sealed in any way like yours was.”

“He's gotten military training with sword and shield.” Sir Aron managed to say in between coughs. “He is as good as any templar recruit. The only thing he hasn't been through yet is his exposure to lyrium to strengthen his powers.”

“What's lyr-” Simon started but Katarina answered the question before he was able to finish it.

“It's what mages draw their powers from. Pure magica. Templars use it to boost their mage hunting skills and resistance to it.” she said without looking at the templar in front of her.

“Correct.” Sir Aron said with a sly smile. “Which also means that Daniel isn't addicted to lyrium either, like I am. That should make him more valuable to you, Duncan.”

Duncan turned his eyes to Daniel, still looking on his master coughing up more and more blood.  
“What say you Daniel? The life of a Grey Warden is a short, cruel life full of struggle. It's no salvation, not for anyone.”

“Ser Aron... I can't leave you.” Daniel sobbed as tears rolled down his cheeks.

“This is your chance Daniel. You were always too kind to become a templar. I wish of you to do great things in this world, and the Grey Wardens are one of the very few ones that can do great good in this world. I'm not going to last long anyway and I would go much easier to go see the Maker if I know you were safe.” Sir Aron said and reached out to his squires cheeks and dried his tears. Daniel nodded and finally tore his eyes away from his master and looked up at Duncan.

“If you'll have me, I want to join the Grey Wardens.”

Duncan sighed and accepted the young boy’s request. Finally he looked at the wounded Templar on the ground.  
“Do you wish for us to end your pain Sir Aron? It won't be long till the taint claims your life, but I can spare you the pain of it if you'd like.” Duncan asked and crouched down next to the Templar. This brought a smile to the Templars mouth.

“No need commander. I don't feel any pain anymore. Please take Daniel and go. If you can, will you let the Chantry of Denerim know of my death?”  
Duncan nodded and shook the Templar’s hand.

“May the Maker ease your journey.” Saunders Ivo said and did a small bow towards the Templar before he left the small shed. Tanyl, Katarina, Duncan and Simon soon followed leaving Daniel to say goodbye to his master. After a few minutes, Daniel came out red eyed and Duncan quickly put an arm around the young boy’s shoulders. They gathered up the rest of the bodies and lay them in a big pile before setting fire to them. They didn’t have the time to bury 20 people. Besides, they had to burn the Darkspawn bodies anyway. The only exception they did was for Ser Aron. Katarina had been right, it didn’t take long before the taint and blood loss took his life. They buried him in the middle of the village, leaving his sword to mark his grave.

“Do you have a horse?” Duncan asked Daniel. The boy was still pretty shaken up after they put his master in the ground. He dried his eyes quickly before he looked away from the hurried grave.

“Y-yes. Both Ser Aron and I do... did. They should be right over there.” He said and pointed over at the edge of the village. The group moved over there to look for the horses, only to find them dead.

“Well, looks like we’ll have to reorganize our equipment again.” Tanyl said as he sighed and walked over to their own horses on the other side of the village. After a quick redistribution of weight, Daniel was seated with Simon on Kramer. Soon they started riding again, leaving the still burning village behind them and moving away from Lake Calenhad and up towards the Frostback Mountains.


	2. Daniel

**Part II**

They rode through most of the day, up the steep mountain paths of the Frostback Mountains. Daniel missed having his own horse though. His previous horse had been all new too! He’d gotten it as soon as him and Ser Aron left Denerim chasing after the apostate. They had been more Templars, but the rumors of where the apostate could be had been too widespread for them to stay together for long. Daniel was new to the whole squire thing. He’d been in school under the chantry ever since he was seven years old, and from then on trained to be a Templar. Weapon training, spiritual training and history were essential parts of his training. Obedience was an important part of being a Templar. Taking orders, doing what you was told without hesitation. Daniel had learned from day one that apostates, rouge mages, was one of the most dangerous things to face in Thedas, even if they didn’t look it. This was mostly because of the apostates urge to become possessed and become a demon. That was one of Daniel’s worst fear. To stand face to face against a demon of pride, the most powerful of all demons.

 

The day Daniel turned 14, he’d been allowed to come to his first ever trip with the Templars. He’d been assigned to Ser Aron, a middle-aged Templar from Denerim. He had always been one of the nicer ones, Daniel thought. He hadn’t been too rough during training and or pushed too little. So Daniel figured he was lucky to be Ser Aron’s squire when they set out against the apostate. Their group had traced the apostate from Denerim to Redcliffe where the trace vanished. Ser Aron wanted to travel up alongside Lake Calenhad to search the area around the Circle Tower, since he thought that the apostate could try to find allies there. The rest of the Templars didn’t agree with Ser Aron though, and left for Lothering. So now Daniel and Ser Aron rode along the shores of the lake, past the docks for the circle tower and asking people along the way.

 

The two of them had just reached The Imperial Highway again, when they spotted a village in the distance. As it was quite late, the two of them headed towards it in hope to get some rest or food.

 

“Be on your guard, Daniel.” Ser Aron said as they closed in on the village, “Not all apostates look like it. We have to suspect that she’s blended in or is using blood magic on the populous.”

 

Daniel just nodded as he was in a quite grim mood. They had asked around seven small villages along the lake and nothing had come even close to giving them an answer to where the apostate had gone. Now he started to wonder if they should have stayed with the rest of the Templars and headed to Lothering instead. They tied up the horses just outside the village, and wandered the few hundred feet. As expected, none in the village seemed to have any idea to where the apostate could be. Another dead end. Great.

 

“Do you have any room for the two of us for one night? We’re exhausted after a day of riding and we would really appreciate any roof you could put over our heads.” Ser Aron asked the town leader, an old, bald man.

 

“We don’t have anything other than an equipment shed to offer. We have so many sick these days that all room is taken I’m afraid.” The old man said in a slow and creaking voice.

 

“That’s more than enough.” Ser Aron said and gave the old man a deep bow before turning to Daniel, “Go pick up our bedrolls and bring the horses a little closer so we can keep an eye on them easier. Hurry it up, it’s going to be dark soon!” he yelled after Daniel as he’d started to run as soon as Ser Aron had finished the first sentence.

 

Ser Aron might be a little less harsh than the other Templars, but compared to the rest of them, even the slightest kindness was a huge difference. Daniel ran as fast as he could back to the horses and brought them closer to the village, then loosened the bedrolls and Ser Aron’s pack from his horse. You’d never know when he’d ask for one of his many personal effects. Most Templars didn’t have families as most were recruited into the Templar Order from an early age, but some volunteered in later life. Ser Aron was one of these. He was a family man and had four children in various ages. The youngest one was the same age as Daniel himself, but this didn’t count against Ser Aron at all. He was an experienced warrior that had fought against the Orlesian with king Maric eight years before and had started his Templar training almost right after the conflict ended.

 

With his arms full of bedrolls and Ser Aron’s knap-sac, Daniel wobbled back to the village and towards the smallest of all the buildings, the equipment shed.

 

“You brought my pack as well, good job Daniel.” Ser Aron laughed and patted Daniel on the back as he entered the small shed. It was a dirty, smelled of hay and very little space. Where there wasn’t a scythe or rake, there was boxes and crates.

 

“Will we even fit in here, ser?” Daniel asked as he looked around for room to put down their things.

 

“We might have to… make some room.” Ser Aron said and started to move the crates over to the wall, placing them on top of each other to free up space for them. With some effort, they managed to fit their bedrolls all the way in the back of the shed, behind the tallest row of crates.

 

“You should get some sleep,” Ser Aron said when the last crate has been placed, “We have to get up early to see if we can catch up with the other Templars.”

 

“What about you, ser?” Daniel said as he started to undress and got under the covers of his bedroll.

 

“I’m going to stay up a little while longer, write my report for the day. You go ahead and get some sleep.” Ser Aron smiled at him.

 

It felt like Daniel just had closed his eyes when the screams began. At first it was only one or two, but soon the air was filled by them. Daniel sat up in the bedroll and looked confused around him. Ser Aron wasn’t to be seen anywhere. The shed door had been left ajar and from the small gap, Daniel could see a flickering light from what looked like flames in the background. Daniel quickly got up and ran over to the door. Shadowy figures ran across the village, some small and some large. The smallest ones looked like women and the bigger ones had some sort of armor on. Suddenly a large figure blocked all view and the door was opened so fast that Daniel fell on his fourteen year old behind. He expected to see some sort of bandit or maybe even a demon, but it was only Ser Aron.

 

“Get dressed!” He whispered to Daniel as he slowly closed the door behind him. “That’s Darkspawn out there!” he said in what seemed like panic. Daniel gasped. Darkspawn? On the surface?

 

Daniel got back up on his feet and ran over to his roll where he’d placed his leather armor before he went to sleep. He tightened all the straps from his shoulders to his boots and grabbed his trusty dagger and sword. As he turned around to say to Ser Aron that he was ready to fight, the door was ripped open again and a woman, blond and beautiful came screaming in. She didn’t even make it two steps inside before strong hands pulled her out into the darkness again. From the opening in the door, came the shadowy figures, taller than any normal man. In the silhouettes from the flames, they looked like demons! But before Daniel could even shout out in surprise from the shock, Ser Aron drew his sword and plunged it in the chest the first creature. That had been a mistake. Before he could pull the blade out from the creature, two others burst into the small shed. With a growl like from a wolf, one of their blades hit Ser Aron in the side. As Ser Aron wore templar armor, which was very thick, this one swing didn’t do much harm to him. Then came the second, then the third and then Ser Aron lay on the ground, bleeding.

 

To Daniel, it was as all sound was muted and as if Ser Aron fell in slow motion. He could see, almost in disturbing detail, the dagger that was ripped from his ribs as he fell down and the blood that dripped from the creature’s dagger. His mind went blanc, and he grabbed for his sword and did as his master before him and thrust his sword into one of the creatures. He made sure not to apply too much pressure so it wouldn’t get stuck, but enough to make sure he pierced the armor of the creature. Then, with all his strength, he pulled the blade from the creature’s chest as he spun around, dragging it out and as soon as it sprung free from it, wove through the air with him. Mid-air, he rotated the blade, separating the last creature’s head from its shoulders. It had taken maybe a five seconds, but to Daniel it had felt like an eternity. The two creatures fell to the ground, leaving Daniel the only one left standing. All of a sudden, it was as if time moved normally again. The sounds of the burning buildings outside once again filled Daniel’s ears. He could even hear his own heartbeat! Realizing what he’d done, he looked down on the creatures, leaking blood from their huge wounds. He spun around and looked down at his master, who looked at him with awe.

 

“Are you OK, Ser Aron?” Daniel said as he kneeled down to inspect the wound.

 

“I-I’m fine, I think. Let us move away from the door, shall we?” Ser Aron said but as soon as he tried to get on his feet, his teen clenched and his face turned full of pain. “Ahh… Y-you have to move me, Daniel. I can’t stand on my own at the moment. Behind the crates. Grab me under my arms and pull me!”

 

Daniel complied his master’s wish and grabbed his master under his arms and with all his strength, he pulled Ser Aron behind the crates where their bedrolls still lay comfortably and almost untouched. The last couple of feet, Ser Aron managed to move himself, leaning against the wall.

 

“Be on the lookout, Daniel. I don’t think more of them are coming this way, but just in case… be prepared, alright?” Ser Aron said with shallow breaths as he held his hands against his bleeding wound. Daniel sneaked closer to the door and peeked outside. The darkness still hindered him to see much, but he could clearly see bodies lying on the ground, but nothing out there moved.

 

“T-they are dead, ser.” Daniel whispered and moved away from the door and back to Ser Aron.

 

“I suspected as much. Darkspawn don’t leave survivors…” Ser Aron said before he began coughing intensely. There was only a few hours left to sunrise, and Daniel stood guard by the door till the flames outside turned into embers and the sun peeked over the tree tops. By then Daniel had a hard time keeping his eyes open, when he suddenly heard voices outside.

 

“Spread out and look for sign of where the Darkspawn came from and survivors.” a deep man’s voice said and Daniel could see someone walking towards the shed where he and Ser Aron was hiding. He quickly hid behind the door and readied his dagger. The door creaked open and someone came in.

 

“What the-“ but that was all the person managed to say before Daniel jumped him from behind, grabbing him around the neck and pushing him to the ground. He quickly placed his dagger by the neck of what turned out to be a boy, dark haired and skinny.

 

“Who are you and what are you doing here? Answer me!” Daniel whispered, trying not to drag any attention from the others outside. He feared that these men could be bandits. It seemed reasonable. Scavengers looking for something to loot. Then, the boy under him made a sudden movement, throwing Daniel off balance and making him fall off the other boy’s back. Daniel quickly got back up on his feet and faced his unknown enemy. The boy couldn’t be much older than himself, maybe 14 or 15 years old, with dark brown eyes and brown, almost black hair. His face was concentrated as he too held a dagger ready to defend himself.

 

“I'll ask one more time. Who are you?!” Daniel said, this time a lot louder than he actually intended and he could hear hurried steps behind him. The boy only changed the grip of his dagger, and started to rotate around Daniel. Daniel readied himself to attack. He couldn’t let him warn the others outside.

 

“Daniel... Stop.” he heard Ser Aron say from behind the crates.

 

“I don’t think-“ Daniel started to say, as he heard the steps behind him come closer and closer.

 

“He didn’t sound like one of those creatures Daniel. Lower your weapon.” Ser Aron said, sounding very weak. Daniel lowered his dagger, followed by the boy. Moments later a bunch of people came bursting into the already crowded shed. Daniel spun around to look at the people coming.

“You are…” Daniel said as he spotted the Griffin on their armor pieces.

 

“Grey Wardens.” The one that looked like their leader said and looked Daniel over with his dark eyes. Daniel didn’t see any anger in them, but worry. Maybe it was for the boy he’d just tried to kill.

 

A couple of hours later, Daniel was on horseback behind the very same boy. Now not as a squire for a Templar, but as a Grey Warden recruit. Not that he minded sitting behind this boy, who he now knew whose name was Simon. They had done a little talking as they rode up the mountain, but Daniel was still very tired from being on watch most of the night before, so now he used Simon’s back to sleep on. Who knew that someone’s back could be such a comfortable pillow? He’d gone through so much the last 12 hours that nobody could blame him for being tired. He thought back to the last words Ser Aron had told him,

 

“Being a hero has its price, Daniel.” He had said with a voice weaker than Daniel had ever heard, “When the time comes, make sure you are prepared to pay it.”

 

Their journey went up to the Frostback Mountains through Gherlen's Pass, the safest way to enter Orlais from Ferelden. Daniel heard Simon gasp when he caught a glimpse of the mighty gates of Orzammar when they stopped outside of what looked like a market place.

 

“We're going to stay a little while and stock up on supplies.” Duncan said to the two youngest members of their party. “You two can look around if you want, but don't wander too far into Orzammar, understood? And not a single foot inside of Dust Town!” The two boys nodded and walked towards the enormous gates of Orzammar. The Outer Gate were bigger than any gate Daniel had ever seen in his young life and with the dwarfs standing beside it, it looked even bigger as the dwarfs were shorter than most people. They approached the one guard without a full helmet covering his face. The guard’s armor looked very different than what their party had on. It was very squared and edged all over, making the dwarf look wider and bigger. Though it looked like it was hard to move in, Daniel had seen dwarf armor before in Denerim. From the little he knew, it was a lot lighter than it looked like and despite its looks, was easy to move around in. The guard just nodded when the two boys approached and they entered into a grand stone hall. In the middle of the room there was huge stone pillars holding up the ceiling. In addition, in the middle Daniel noticed to his surprise that what looked like... floating magma streaming down, bathing the room in an almost burning yellow light. Around the room there were placed six stone statues of dwarfs, men and women. They walked slowly through the hall just looking at all the different statues. On the base of each one there was a name and a description.

 

“Paragon... What does that mean?” Daniel asked and looked at Simon. Simon just shrugged his shoulders and they walked to the end of the room where a smaller gate lead into the next chamber.

 

“Woah...” Simon burst out as soon as they entered the gate. Daniel had to agree with him. If there was a word to describe what they saw, “woah” seemed sufficient. Daniel would have to guess that this room had once been a gigantic cave that had been expanded over time and buildings, roads and bridges being built directly into the mountain. A huge stone pillar dominated the middle of the huge cave. This too had been used to house some sort of building. The road out to it was a wide stone bridge, and by the looks of the red'ish light underneath, it was lava down there. None of the boys said a word as they walked further in and Simon reached the stone rail and looked down.

 

“There is lava down there as well!” Simon shouted in surprise as he looked down, covering his face in the same red light. Daniel had a quick look over the edge as well. Streams of lava boiled and flowed far down. As he looked, he noticed another walkway further down housing lower and more broken down houses. Daniel guessed that was Dust Town, the place where Orzammar's poor lived. Daniel left Simon at the bridge, who was now looking up at the higher levels of the cave, when Daniel noticed a stall and a dwarf waving him closer. Hesitantly, Daniel walked over to the dwarf, who Daniel now recognized sold armor and weapons. Amazed with what he saw, he called out for Simon, who still looked up in the middle of the bridge and as soon as he got his attention, Daniel waved him over.

 

“Simon! Come look!” he said and looked back at the merchandise in front of him.

 

“What can I help you with, young human?” The dwarf asked curiously and looked Daniel over. Without answering, Daniel noticed a blade that caught his attention. It was a longsword of what looked like steel. He reached out for it, but stopped. What if the merchant got mad at him? But the merchant just chuckled.

 

“Go on, Take a look at it.”

 

Daniel reached out and took the blade in his hands. It was lighter than it looked, but heavy enough to be powerful in a swing.

 

“Real quality blade, that is! Have you ever handled a dwarf blade, son?” the dwarf asked Daniel quickly who just shook his head with his eyes glued to the blade in his hands.

 

“Shame that is. It could be yours for only 30 silver, son. The best price you'll get down here.” the dwarf gave Daniel a meaningful look and probably knew how much the young templar wanted the blade.

 

“That's not t-t-true!” a dwarf behind them burst out. Both Daniel and Simon turned around to see another dwarf, bald and maybe even more... robust than the rest. He looked really nervous as he approached the three of them.

 

“What's not true Garin?” the dwarf behind the stand asked and came around to shove a thick finger into the new dwarf, Garin's chest. “Are you calling me a liar?”

 

“Y-y-yes I am Legnar! It's not the c-c-cheapest one down here. I have one just li-li-like that for only 26 silver in my stall.” the dwarf called Garin managed to get out after a lot of stammering. Simon looked over at Daniel who were looking at the two dwarfs with much interest.

 

“I will let you know, Garin, that I intend to sell that young human that blade of mine for the glorious price of 25 silver. Can I then say that it's the best price down here?” The dwarf called Legnar went another step closer to Garin, making him only a few inches away from his face.

 

“N-n-no!” Garin said and took one step back. “I will sell my b-b-blade for 24 silver!”

 

“Oh, will you know? Well then, I guess I will have to sell mine for 23 then.” Legnar said and took a big step towards Garin, not almost rubbing noses and definitely rubbing their rather large bellies against each other. Looking even angrier, Garin took a new step back and looked like he was struggling to get his next few words out for a few seconds before finally saying,

 

“OK, Legnar.” he said and looked over at Daniel. “I'll sell mine for 20 silver coins.” then looked back at Legnar before continuing, “Will you beat that Legnar? 20 silver coins for a steel dwarf longsword?”

 

Legnar looked like a fish on land, opening his mouth then closing it, like he wanted to say something before changing his mind again. Finally, he shook his head and walked back the few steps to his stall again.

 

“I won't give my sword away. Do what you want Garin.” Legnar said and gave Garin a look that made Simon shiver.

 

Out of words to the situation that had just happened, they followed the other dwarf, Garin to another stall at the other side of the commons.

 

“So young h-h-h-human. 20 silver coins for a dwarf longsword. You won't get a cheaper price anywhere.”

 

“Ummmmm...” Daniel said and looked over at Simon. Daniel didn't have any money, Simon knew that very well. Being a squire, he didn't earn very much. The little money he'd earned he had used already on his horse and little other equipment he had. So Simon knew that Daniel couldn't afford to buy the sword, even though the dwarfs had already haggled down the price ten silver coins, without them asking for it at all. So Simon made a split second decision and got up one of his gold coins saved from his time in Denerim, put in on the counter and said,

 

“We'll take two.” then winked at Daniel.

  
The dwarf was taken by surprise and looked Simon over. He looked long and hard at his worn clothes and then studied the coin, tried to take a bite from it to check if it was an actual gold sovereign before nodding to Simon, pulled up another sword from a box and placed it on the counter along with the change. Daniel looked like he was in shock when Simon handed him the sword and placed his own along his back.

 

“W-why? I mean,” he stammered and he finally looked up from his shiny, new sword, “Why did you buy me one? I can't pay you back for it!”

 

“You know what a gift is?” Simon grinned, patted him on the back and started walking to the main gates again. Daniel soon followed him, holding his sword in his hands as if it was made from glass.

 

Almost outside again, Daniel made a decision. Since he knew he couldn’t pay him back for the sword, he had to at least thank Simon for it! So he grabbed hold of Simon's shoulder, turned him around and gave him a hug. Simon seemed genuinely surprised when Daniel hugged him. Maybe Simon didn’t get many hugs where he came from, but Daniel had learned from the sisters in the Chantry that even the smallest act of kindness shouldn’t go unnoticed. Daniel whispered “Thank you Simon.” and let go of him. Before he walked ahead of Simon out the gate and back into the natural light.

 

“Get everything you need?” Duncan said as the two boys were back at the horses. He gave the sword on Simon's back and the one that Daniel still held with a tight grip in his hands and smiled as Simon gave him a nod and a grin.

 

“All we need and then some.” Daniel said with a quick glance over at Simon. This could be the start of something special, Daniel thought. And maybe a lasting friendship.


	3. Heading West

**Part III**

Soon the six of them were moving west again. They made several smaller stops underway, but they did their best to push through. As soon as they passed the Ferelden-Orlesian border, the surroundings changed. Where Ferelden's buildings were mainly wooden buildings with brown and gray colors, the Orlesian ones looked like they were made out of fabrics! Their colors were all from the deepest blue to shocking pink! And a lot more decoration in the surroundings as well. Huge statues were placed near the main roads, wonderful bridges and advanced architecture. After a couple of days they reached the City of Jader, the closest Orlesian city to the Ferelden border. Just like everything else Simon had seen, Jader looked colorful from the outside, with huge towers painted in strong colors. Jader had huge battlements as well. You had to give it to the Orlesians; they really knew how to make a defensible city, small or big. The city overlooked the Waking Sea from a cliff and was the Orlesian’s first line of defense for Val Royeaux of invaders from sea. A small road led down the cliff and to a dock that could hold about thirty ships. As they approached the gates, they heard a man shout at them with a strange accent.

 

“Who goes there?!”

 

“Grey Wardens from Ferelden.” Duncan shouted back and the gates opened slowly as they approached it.

 

Inside the city gates they arrived at a large market full of stalls in all different sizes and colors. As it was night time it was pretty much abandoned. Soon they were greeted by the captain of the guard.

 

“Greetings Commander Duncan. What business do you have in the city?” the large man said in a deep voice. He wore thick plated armor with colorful fabrics covering his arms, legs and the decorative feathers on his helm.

 

“Just a pit-stop to Montsimmard, Captain. I am here to meet up with Constable Emeric. I understand he is in the city?”

 

“Yes, he is the usual place.” the captain said with a chuckle.

 

Duncan sighed and gave the captain a small nod and they kept moving into the city. The streets were more or less abandoned, only being lit up by torches here and there, filling the streets in a thin fog.

 

“Where are we going Duncan?” Daniel asked as he looked around at the dark houses and stalls as they traveled further into the city.

 

“To our headquarters here. It's a tavern.” he said quickly and they continued to walk in silence.

 

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence they approached a huge building, at least four stories high. On the outside it had been painted in a deep red color unlike anything Simon had ever seen on a building before. The party dismounted their horses and entered the tavern. Simon stopped dead in his tracks. The building was not only four stories high, but went another three down! The room had, like Orzammar, a huge hole in the middle with plateaus going down. Duncan grunted in dismay as he started walking down the stairs. This had to be the biggest tavern in the city, Simon thought to himself. Almost all of the floors were full of people, drinking and eating. When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Simon's jaw dropped so fast that it might as well have fallen to the ground, if his skin hadn't stopped it from doing so. This was a brothel! All around the floor there were people seated, with women and men in very little clothing walking around serving drink to their guests. Most of the guests around wore masks he noticed. He was just about to ask Duncan why, when he felt a shove in his back.

 

“Move. We're not there yet.” Saunders Ivo said with a grin and pushed him once more towards a thick wooden door at the end of the room. Duncan didn't even flinch from the prostitutes, walked straight to the door, and knocked twice. A small slot opened and a pair of eyes looked at Duncan quickly before closing again and the door opened. A huge man, dressed in thick Grey Warden armor loomed over them. He had to be at least a head taller than Duncan.

 

“You're late.” he said strictly and looked Duncan over and then his small party. “You only found these two?” he asked with a quick nod towards Daniel and Simon.

 

“I believe these two will do well for us.” Duncan replied and looked back at the two boys and gave them a warm smile. “Are the rest here yet?” he asked quickly and tried to look past the big man.

 

“We were only waiting for you. Do you need to rest before traveling to Montsimmard?” the tall man asked as he moved aside, letting the others through.

 

“Yes, I think so. Our horses have been riding through the night to get here.” Duncan said as he entered the room. Simon and Daniel followed the three others though the door, which was shut and locked as soon as they stepped inside. Once again, Simon’s jaw dropped. Everything in this city was a lot bigger than it looked. The room was actually not just one room, but actually multiple rooms filling a huge cave. The walls looked like they were made from rough stone. There were small tunnels here and there leading into other rooms, but it was dominated by the one big room. It had everything one could wish for. Several bookshelves, beds, armor stands and even an own kitchen filled the room. Unlike Orzammar, this cave wasn’t lit up by lava, but floating balls of light that hung still in the air.

 

Tanyl and Saunders Ivo walked straight over to the armory part of the cave, loosening their own armor as they walked. Katarina walked over to one of the many bookshelves and started to look through them. Duncan and the bigger man, which Simon guessed was Constable Emeric, the head Grey Warden here at Jader, walked towards the middle of the cave where there was a long table. There already sat many people at it. Some of them were eating, some were reading and others just talked. Simon estimated it to be around 20 people filling the cave.

 

Simon and Daniel followed Duncan and Emeric as they sat down at the table. The two younger boys sat close enough to hear what they were saying.

 

“Do you know anything about what this is about?” Emeric asked Duncan and poured himself and Duncan something to drink, ale Simon guessed.

 

“No.” Duncan said, looking very serious, “But it can’t be good, since he’s calling all of us. It takes us months to travel to Weisshaupt!” he said shaking his head.

 

“How many men do you need, you think?” Emeric said and grabbed a parchment and quill.

 

“I don’t think I’ll need that many. Maybe eight. I can’t take too many; you know what it’s like to travel into the Anderfells.”

 

“Which is why I ask… Do you need me to come along? It’s not the easiest route to travel. Having more men around wouldn’t hurt. Especially with the Darkspawn activity going on in the area.”

 

Duncan looked curiously over Emeric’s face.

“You want to come with is? Are you not needed here? I think Fontaine will bring men with her from Montsimmard, so we should be safe though the Anderfells.” Duncan noted. Emeric looked disappointed.

 

“I was hoping to get out from here. I want- I need to do something again. I’ve been stuck here for months!” Emeric threw the parchment and quill at the table and grabbed chunks of his long dark hair. “It’s coming soon, Duncan. The calling. I…” but he was stopped when Duncan laid his hand at his shoulder.

 

“It’s coming for all of us, Emeric. And when it does we-“ he stopped and looked over at the two young boys, listening in on their every word.

 

“Simon. Daniel. You two should head to the armory and see if they have anything for you.” Duncan said, sounding quite serious. Guessing that they weren’t supposed to hear the rest of their conversation, Simon nudged Daniel at his side and they walked over towards Tanyl and Saunders Ivo.

 

“Hello boys,” Saunders Ivo said in his deep voice and smiled as they approached, “Looking for some gear?” Both Saunders Ivo and Tanyl was looking through the Grey Wardens extensive collection of armors, swords, shields and bows. There was even a couple of staffs hanging by the walls.

 

“I wouldn’t mind getting something else than these rags…” Simon said as he looked over his own well-used clothes.

 

“I think we’ll find something useful for you, if you don’t mind using some Dalish armor? I don’t think we have much else in your size.” Tanyl grinned at him. Simon didn’t mind Dalish armor. The little he knew about the Dalish was pretty much the things he’d heard on the street. He’d heard that some Dalish clans was very aggressive against humans, or Shemlen as they called them. But their skills in crafting, especially lighter armor and bows, was unlike any human craftsmen could create.

 

Simon looked over the different armors. There was a lot of plated armor, like both Saunders Ivo and Duncan wore, but there was also lighter ones like the ones Tanyl wore. Tanyl walked over to a huge wooden chest and pulled out a dark grey armor and held it up for Simon to see. As he thought, it was a lot like the one Tanyl already had on.

 

“I think it should fit. Try it on.” He said and tossed it over to Simon, along with a matching pair of boots and gauntlets. When Simon just stood there with the dark leather in his hands, he said impatiently, “You going to try it? Come on!”

 

“Here, I’ll help. Take your shirt off.” Daniel said and stepped forward.

 

Simon blushed as Daniel’s surprisingly soft hands started to pull Simon’s shirt over his head and folding it neatly. This left Simon bare chested in the middle of an armory, painfully aware of the many eyes that were watching him. Not that Simon had much to be ashamed of. He had a smooth chest, with a little patch of dark hairs under his arms. He had very little fat and hints of a six pack. A thin trail of hairs let down from his navel and under his belt. Simon wasn’t sure, but he thought that Daniel stopped for a second and looked him over, before he started to strap on the leather chest piece. Simon was surprised when Daniel seemed to have little problem finding the right places to fasten the straps and belts, because there was a lot of them! Straps around his shoulders, back, even around his waist, but Daniel skillfully fastened all of them. And after two minutes, Simon stood fully armored up with his new boots, firm gauntlets and strapping chest piece. Simon tried to move his shoulders, arms and legs to see how the armor fit, and he was surprised when he noticed just how flexible it was! It was as if he was wearing nothing at all!

 

“What do you guys think?” he said and turned around to let the other see the entire armor.

 

“Looks good. I was right about the size too. Good thing we have so many Dalish Wardens around.” Tanyl chuckled.

 

“I agree.” Saunders Ivo said and nodded, “It seems to fit you well.” He walked over to Simon and started to thug in different places. “It holds.” He confirmed and smiled. Simon was very happy with it. The only problem he had with it was that it was rather… chilly, down below. There was only a few leather straps covering him there and left his nether regions more or less uncovered, even though the armor had leather flaps down the side of his thighs, the next thing to protect him down there was his boots that went all the way to his knees. The only thing covering him was his wool pants. Not much help against a hit below the belt. It seemed like Daniel shared his concern.

 

“Maybe you should get something to cover up your thighs or something. You look quite vulnerable with them showing the gaps in your armor so much.” He observed as he walked around Simon, studying every inch of his armor. Daniel already had his own leather armor. Much like his own, Daniel’s armor was held on tight by leather straps, but his was reinforced been studded with steel for extra strength.

 

“You’re right…” Tanyl said as he too started to study Simon’s thighs, which made Simon blush even harder, “We need to cover those up with some leather. Let me see…” He said as he ventured deep into the chest again. After a couple of minutes, he came back up with a set of leather pants, with reinforcements like those that Daniel’s armor had. “These should cover it.”

 

“Alright, let’s do i-“ Daniel started and grabbed a chunk of Simon’s pants, but Simon grabbed Daniel’s hands.

 

“I-I can do that part myself!” he said, blushing harder than ever. A little surprised, Daniel let go of Simon’s pants and let Simon tug them down himself. The most important reason for Simon to wanted to do that part himself, was the fact that he didn’t have anything under his wool pants! Thankfully, his chest piece stopped the many prying eyes from seeing that, so he was still covered once the pants were off. He quickly stepped into the leather pants, and fastened it with another belt.

 

“Ahh, so much better!” Simon sighed when he fastened the belt around the pants. “I can live in this!”

 

“Ha ha ha! I don’t think you’d want that.” Daniel laughed, “It’s very uncomfortable after a while, so I’d advise you to take it off when you’re going to sleep or something like that. Just don’t wear it all the time.”

 

“This is true.” Tanyl said with a sly smile, “As long as you wear this when we travel, you should be fine. And now, you should have some more protection the next time a Shriek attacks you.”

 

Simon smiled from that comment. They messed around in the armory for a good while more, managing to find a suitable shield for Daniel as well. A wooden one, that wasn’t too thick and heavy for him to handle.

 

“This seems nice!” Daniel said and fastened the straps along his arm, holding it in place.

 

Soon they finished up, grabbing any gear that they might need and packed it into their bags before they headed to one of them many beds around the chamber. Simon and Daniel managed to find a set of beds close to the armory, which was warm from the flames there. Simon decided to try at least once to sleep in his leather armor, especially now that he didn’t wear anything under it. Daniel on the other hand, used some time to take off his leather armor, piece by piece. Simon couldn’t help but to watch as Daniel loosened the belts around his waist and tugged in a string on his back, loosening the entire armor. Like Simon, Daniel didn’t have anything under his armor, at least his chest piece. Being a squire had surely affected his body! He had pretty well defined muscles along his arms and he had a much more defined six-pack than Simon did. Like Simon, he was hairless on his chest, but Simon noticed a few hairs under his armpits. Without caring, or maybe it was without knowing that Simon was watching, he started to loosen his belt around his waist and started pulling on his pants. He noticed right away the bare skin underneath. Simon closed his eyes and rolled onto his back. He felt a heat in his entire body, not really sure why.

 

“Good night, Simon.” He heard Daniel say as he crept under the covers on his bed.

 

“Good night.” Simon almost whispered, in deep thoughts. Since he’d grown up on the street, Simon hadn’t had much contact of a sexual nature, not voluntary at least. He didn’t count what that damned guard had done to him, maybe both of them for all he knew. He felt a stinging pain in the corner of his eye thinking about it. He rolled over on his side, away from Daniel. He didn’t want Daniel to see him cry.

 

The next morning Simon was woken up by a shove in the shoulder.

 

“Wake up, Simon. We have to get moving again soon.” A calm voice said.

 

“Five more minutes…” Simon mumbled, pulling the blanket over him more.

 

“We don’t have time for that, I’m afraid.”

 

And with that he felt a thug in his feet and he was dragged out from the very comfortable bed and onto the stone floor.

 

“Ouch!” Simon cried out as he hit his head a bit.

 

“You awake now?” the voice laughed. Simon was awake now, that was true. It looked like everyone in the room was on the move. Saunders Ivo was strapping his greatsword on his back, Tanyl was filling his quiver with arrows and Katarina sat in her usual position, with her eyes closed and waiting. Simon looked up, it had been Duncan who dragged him out of bed. He was smiling at him, which was a good sign.

 

“I see you managed to find an armor that fit you. Good. We have to get a lot of riding done today, so please hurry. Try to get something to eat and we’ll be on our way.” Duncan said and walked over to the long table, where there was several maps spread out.

 

Simon got up and looked over at Daniel. He was sitting in his own bed and looking at Simon.

 

“Are you alright? Looked like you took a hit there.” He said, looking worried at Simon.

 

“I’m alright… Aaaaaaaaand I’m up.” He said as he got on his feet. He felt a little dizzy, but it soon passed. He strapped his sword on his back and his dagger on his left side of his hip.

 

After a quick bite to eat, the Ferelden Wardens, plus another six Orlesian ones, headed up through the many floors of the tavern and out into the morning light of Jader.

 

“Where are we going now, Duncan?” Simon asked as they walked over the now busy market place of Jader.

  
“We’re heading straight for Montsimmard. We will meet up with the rest of the Wardens there. It’s a long way, almost as long as from Denerim to here.” Duncan answered as they approached them main gate. “We expect to be in Montsimmard within a week or so. The terrain is rough, even along the Imperial Highway.” Since it was morning now, the gate was open now, unlike the night before. Plenty of people, farmers and citizens walked in and out from the gate. The Wardens walked straight over to the stables, where they picked up their horses. Daniel finally got his own horse. A beautiful brown one named Sekna. The Orlesian Wardens rode in front with Duncan leading the way while Tanyl, Katarina, Saunders Ivo, Daniel and Simon formed the back. They spent most of the day riding. They took a few stops every now and then to let the horses rest and drink. During this time, Simon and the others talked.

 

Simon learned that he’d been correct about Tanyl being a city elf. He’d grown up in Denerim, like Daniel and Simon, and had been recruited by Duncan two years earlier. Much like Simon, Tanyl’s fate had been sealed when Duncan recruited him, after Tanyl had fought two of the guards of a noble in Denerim. Tanyl explained that he’d been forced to either die or defend himself. When he had explained that he had been assaulted first, the guards had sentenced him to death. Thankfully Duncan had been nearby and demanded Tanyl released into the Grey Wardens by the right of conscription.

  
Katarina had been a circle mage all her life. She had passed her Harrowing, the test that determines if a mage is able to resist possession, with flying colors. After that, she had spent her days excelling in primal magic, especially fire and ice, but she also possessed healing abilities. The Grand Enchanter had called for Duncan to see her as a potential recruit, something that both Duncan and Katarina happily accepted.

  
“You have all gone through so much!” Daniel said when Katarina finished her story. “What about you Simon?” Daniel looked over at Simon, expecting another thrilling story.

 

“I- stole from Duncan.” Simon said, now noticing how little exciting his story was compared to the others. “I was captured by the guards and Duncan picked me up from my cell.”

 

Daniel looked like he expected more to the story, because he has a weird look on his face for several seconds, before it seemed like he realized that there wasn’t more to the story after all.

 

“Ah, alright. I guess that works too.” Daniel said with a hint of a smile. Simon wanted to give him a mean look, but Tanyl came to his rescue.

 

“Simon stole from Duncan his ring, his Grey Warden signet ring. Duncan was a thief himself once, and isn’t an easy target to steal from, even though he doesn’t look like it now. And Simon proved himself a fighter, just before we picked up you actually.” Tanyl said with a look over at Daniel, “He managed to sense a Shriek, the Darkspawn assassin specialist, without dying first. That takes a lot of skill. He almost killed it too, but those beasts are hard to kill with just a simple dagger.” All while Tanyl talked, Daniel stared at Simon with an open mouth.

“Good thing you got a new blade. You’ll kill a Shriek easy with one of those.” Tanyl said, pointing at the sword at Simon’s back.

 

After a full day of riding, Simon had nodded off in the saddle a few times, but not gotten any real sleep. So when they finally set up camp for the night, Simon didn’t bother setting up a tent and just rolled out his bedroll close to the fire and almost fainted into it. Daniel did as he did, and just unrolled his own bedroll next to Simon. As Daniel was a more experienced rider, he was used to sleep in the saddle, and had gotten a few hours of sleep.

 

“You alright, Simon?” Daniel asked, unable to hide his grin.

 

“I’m exhausted… I hate riding. I can’t sleep and my thighs are burning. I like sailing more…”

 

“Ohh, you sailed before? I’ve never been on a boat before.” Daniel asked curious.

 

“I used to live by the docks. I got work on a boat once, so I’ve been to Rivain.” Simon said and rolled onto his back, looking up at the star filled sky. “We spent two days in Dairsmuid, stocking up on goods before we returned back home. Best experience of my life.”

 

“It sounds glorious.” Daniel said, smiling warmly over at his friend.

 

“It was. So have you been anywhere else, other than Denerim?”

 

“Umm…” Daniel laid down on his back and looked up to the sky. “I pretty much only spent time around Denerim. Going on the mission with Ser Aaron was the first time I ever went out from Denerim.” Daniel said, and Simon noticed a tear in the corner of his eyes.

 

“I-I’m sorry, Daniel. I didn’t mean to bring him u-“

 

“No! It’s OK, Simon. I started out on an adventure with a wonderful man, and ended up in a new one, with a great friend.”

 

This took Simon a little by surprise, but when Daniel looked over at him, he knew that Daniel actually meant what he said. Daniel looked at Simon as a friend, something Simon had never experienced before. As a pickpocket, he’d never made friends, just accomplices.

 

“Thank you, Daniel. You’re a great friend too.” Simon said, feeling a lump in his throat forming. Not exchanging any more words, both boys laid down on their bedrolls and looked up at the night sky. One after the other, they fell asleep, right next to each other.


	4. Ambush!

**Part IV**

Daniel woke up early. He rustled around, stretching in his bedroll before opening his eyes. It was early dawn, judging by the light dimming over the treetops. The fire was all but embers now, causing flickering shadows on the ground. He rolled over to look at the sleeping figure next to him, Simon. Simon was on his back, with one leg peeking out from under the blanket, snoring slightly. Daniel had to smile when he saw the drool coming from the corner of his open mouth.

 

“You up already?” Daniel heard Saunders Ivo’s deep voice say behind him. Daniel got up and saw the large man sitting on the other side of the fire, cleaning his sword.

 

“Yeah, I usually always wake up before anyone else.” Daniel said and walked over and sat down next to Saunders Ivo.

 

“Me too. I’ve always liked to watch the sun come up.” He said, looking up at the treetops. Daniel followed his gaze and had to agree, it was beautiful. In addition, he noticed the birds chippering away, how anyone could sleep through that, was beyond his understanding.

 

“You seem to take all of this quite well.” Sanders Ivo continued, “Joining us as a recruit, and then your special circumstances.”

 

“Yeah…” Daniel said staring into the embers, “Still doesn’t feel real, you know?”

 

“I know.” Saunders Ivo said calmly. “Joining the Grey Wardens isn’t easy, even for someone who sought them out to join.”

 

“How did you come to join the Wardens?” Daniel asked. Saunders Ivo finally stopped cleaning his sword before he too, stared into the embers.

 

“I was a mercenary for many years. I had a whole crew of us set up in Amaranthine. One day a dwarf merchant, Kultak, wanted us to escort him and a few of his companions back to the Frostback Mountains. I guessed he was a lyrium merchant,” he looked down at Daniel, “I guess you already know about the lyrium trade, you being a Templar-in-training and all.”

 

Daniel nodded slowly. He knew that Templars used lyrium to boost their abilities and that the Chantry was very strict on regulating the trade, as lyrium is highly addictive and dangerous in the wrong hands. Apostates and Templars alike want more lyrium to feed their addiction. A huge chunk of the lyrium trade, was illegal. Mostly done by parties like the Carta and such.

 

“I’m not surprised. Anyway, we were almost back at Orzammar when Darkspawn attacked us. A small group, like the one you and Ser Aaron got attacked by. We weren’t prepared for the monsters to attack us. We expected carta or maybe some thugs, so my men were slaughtered. Out of the ten of us that traveled from Amaranthine, only three of us survived. When we were back home again, I started to look for meaning.” Saunders Ivo’s eyes became dark, but Daniel thought he saw something else in his eyes. Maybe it was the embers that tricked his own eyes, but he thought Saunders Ivo’s looked like they were on fire.

 

“I swore to kill every single one of the Darkspawn I could get my hands on, so I sought out the Grey Wardens about a year ago. I found Duncan close to Redcliffe. I joined their ranks two days later.” He got on his feet and put his greatsword into the long sheath that he strapped tightly to his back, “You should wake Simon and the others up. We should be moving again soon. We have a lot of ground to cover before the day is over.”

 

And true he was. As soon as their little group had packed up their bedrolls and tents, they kept on riding. They estimated it would take another seven days’ worth of riding before reaching Montsimmard, where Daniel and Simon would be dropped off for training with the Orlesian Wardens.

 

They put the Frostback Mountains behind them and soon entered lands of green, with gigantic forests surrounding them. Daniel wanted to explore more of these grounds, someday. They passed through Halamshiral where they stopped quickly to stock up on supplies. Halamshiral looked different from the rest of Orlais.

 

“Halamshiral was built by elves.” Tanyl explained to Daniel and Simon as they walked around the city, waiting for the rest of the group to finish packing supplies.

 

“Really?” Simon asked and started to look around at the buildings. The city was white, made from a peculiar white stone. The buildings were tall and made almost completely out from this white stone.

  
“It reminds me a little of… Fort Drakon, to be honest.” Simon said, a little unsure.

 

“Hmm…” Tanyl mumbled, looking around as well. “You’re right, actually. Halamshiral is an elvish word though, meaning ‘the end of the journey’, as it was founded after the ‘Long Walk’. Do you know what that was, Simon?” Tanyl asked with a glimmer in his eyes. When Simon shook his head, Tanyl sighed.

 

“I’m not very surprised. It isn’t not one of the most widespread tales by the Chantry. After the Andraste’s uprising won over the Tevinter Imperium, she promised the elves The Dales as their new home. The elves took on ‘The Long Walk’, and settled here, founding Halamshiral, the end of the journey.”

 

“But-“ Daniel started, “didn’t Halamshiral get burned to the ground, after the Second Exalted March?”

 

“Well, someone knows their history!” Tanyl said, impressed. “Yes, Halamshiral was sacked by the Orlesian forces. The Winter Palace was built only a few years after the Exalted March,” he said tired, “Once the great capital of the Dales… Now turned into a seasonal holiday spot for the Imperial Court.”

 

They continued riding west, passing through Lydes and Verchiel without stopping. They still had half a days worth of riding left to Montsimmard, when they set up camp. Daniel was to have first watch with Tanyl, sitting near the edge of the camp.

  
“The two of you have become close.” Tanyl nodded against the sleeping mass close to the burning fire, snoring lightly.

 

“I think Simon is as close a friend to me as any I’ve had during my Templar training.” Daniel said. Not that he’d had that many friends to start with. Tanyl looked him over, as if he had something on his mind.

 

“Don’t get too attached to him before the both of you have gone through your Joining.” He finally said. Daniel looked up at the sharp profile of Tanyl’s face.

  
“What do you mean?”

 

“Just- trust me on this, Daniel.” Tanyl said in a tone that clearly said that the conversation was over, but Daniel wouldn’t let that comment slide.

  
“No. Tell me!” He said a little louder than intended, making a few of the sleeping bodies around them shuffle around in their sleep. Tanyl gave him a long and hard look before saying anything more.

 

“Joining the Grey Wardens isn’t like joining the Templar Order or anything else for that matter. People die becoming a Grey Warden.” As soon as he said these last words, he looked like he regretted them. Daniel didn’t want to ask anything else.

  
“I-I have to go pee.” He said, getting onto his feet. Tanyl looked like was about to stop him, but said nothing. Daniel walked as silently as he could to the closest trees, where the light of the flames couldn’t reach him. He let out a soft sigh as he did his business. As the liquid made audible splashes against the closest tree, he heard sounds of movement from the shadows. He looked around the tree to see if he could spot anything, but without any luck. He packed his stuff back in and took a few trying steps in between the trees. Without the flames from the camp or stars from the sky to give any light, the forest was pitch black. Daniel squinted his eyes to see further into the darkness.

 

There was that sound again. Something was moving out of sight. Daniel closed his eyes, like he’d learned from Katarina, and listened. Using only his hearing, he could now hear the sound of muffled footsteps, but from what… Taking a few steps back, Daniel thought he should call out for help, when a rough hand closed around his mouth.

 

“Shhhh…” a voice whispered into his ear. The cold from a steel blade pushed against the bare skin of his neck. More movement around him, it had to be more than just the one! He heard bows being drawn and swords being unsheathed. An ambush! Daniel did the only thing he could think of, which was locating exactly where the one holding him stood, and then finding his foot. With all his strength, he stomped on the tip of the man’s toes, making the man shout out in pain, and loosen his grip around Daniel’s mouth. As soon as the man’s grip around his mouth loosened, Daniel knocked his head back, feeling the back of his head smash into the man’s nose. Not bothering to look behind him, Daniel ran towards the camp.

 

“Tanyl! Help!” Daniel managed to shout out as he ran out from the trees. He saw Tanyl look around and begin waking up the others. Daniel heard others behind him, shouting and swearing. A sharp pain to his left shoulder suddenly hit him, making him stumble a little, but managing to keep himself on his feet. Daniel looked over at his shoulder and saw a bleeding gash, but no arrow. No direct hit then, that was good, so he continued running. Ahead, he saw that almost the entire camp was on their feet stood ready to face who ever attacked them. Daniel finally reached the camp and jumped behind the first real cover he could find, and not a second too early! Another arrow flew right past the spot where his head would have been, had he stopped. Who in their right mind attacked Grey Wardens?!

 

“Get ready!” he heard Sounders Ivo call out. Daniel looked over to the rest of the Wardens. Tanyl had his bow ready, taking careful aim. Katarina hid behind cover, waiting for the attackers to come closer. Duncan had his dual blades out, stone faced. Saunders Ivo stood first in line of the Wardens, his greatsword already swinging ready for battle.

 

“Are you alright?!” Simon said as he ran over to Daniel, carrying Daniel’s shield in one hand and his blade in the other.

 

“I think so, only a scratch.” Daniel replied as he strapped on his shield to his left arm. Now the battle began. The attacking group turned out to be highwaymen, looking for any target they could find. They were around twenty and the Wardens were only twelve, two being untrained recruits. That made it an unfair fight to say the least.

 

Daniel got up from behind his cover, holding his shield ready as he faced the enemy. Simon still crouched behind cover, waiting for the enemy to come to them. The first of the highwaymen came running into the camp from the front as archers rained down arrows from the sides.

“Daniel, Simon, take out those archers!” Duncan shouted as he slashed down his first highwayman. “Tanyl, cover them.” He shouted over to Tanyl, who was already going through his arrows taking out the highwaymen as they came running.

 

“Let’s go.” Daniel said and Simon followed him, taking cover behind Daniel’s shield. A few arrows hit his shield as they went, but thankfully, none of them hit either Simon or Daniel. There were three archers up on a slope, flanking the Wardens as they fought. Simon and Daniel, covered by Tanyl, made their way up the sides behind Daniel’s shield. As soon as the archers started to move away from their position, Simon ran out from the back of Daniel’s shield and sprinted towards the closest archer. The man didn’t even have time to draw his dagger as Simon planted his own dagger in the man’s neck.

 

The two other archers dropped their bows and got their own blades ready to face Daniel and Simon, losing focus on the Wardens down below. That was a big mistake, as a well-placed arrow from Tanyl, hit one of the highwaymen in the leg. Simon and Daniel used the man’s scream as a distraction and rushed forward towards the two men. Simon used his momentum to knock the first of the highwaymen over, planting his dagger in the man’s chest, while Daniel smashed his shield against the crippled archer’s incoming blows, deflecting them to the side as he thrusted his dwarven longsword into the man’s abdomen, taking down the last of the archers flanking the wardens.

 

A loud bang caught their attention, as flames burst out from the trees. Daniel and Simon watched in horror as fire ran from the sky over the fighting crowd below them. Out from the trees came a tall woman, grasping a long staff. With swift movements of her hand, she conjured bursts of flame that rained over the fighting Wardens from above. Daniel drew the conclusion that this was an apostate mage, probably having joined the highwaymen for easy profit. Not many can do anything against a trained mage, even with the thickest armor. Either a well-trained Templar or another mage stood a chance against one. Thankfully, they had Katarina.

 

From their vantage point, Daniel and Simon saw Katarina swing her staff around in broad circles as strange symbols formed on the ground around her. A small shimmer covered the Wardens, deflecting the bursts of fire for a few seconds. Beams of light shot back and forth between the two mages, making the ground around the shake as their spells collided in the air. Then something seemed to change and Daniel wasn’t sure why at first. The apostate had stopped her movement and had apparently called for someone, because out of the trees came a small man, limping slightly as he ran towards the apostate. In his hand he held a glimmering dagger that he presented to the apostate. Daniel didn’t really understand what was going on, so when the apostate grabbed the dagger and slit the man’s throat, he actually shouted out in surprise!

 

As the man fell to the ground, the apostate’s entire posture changed. She stood still and started chanting words, in what sounded like a different language and the ground around her started shaking. Then what looked like shimmering pearls started to rise from the corpse next to the apostate. Daniel didn’t see what they were at first, but when he saw where they came from, he felt a shiver go down his spine. Pearls of blood floated into the air around the apostate, from the dead man’s neck! They floated around the apostate for a few seconds, before gathering into one big cluster of dark blood, floating mid air, in front of the apostate.

 

“Blood magic…” Daniel almost whispered. This was even worse than he imagined. Blood magic was the ability to use blood as fuel for spells. The practice of blood magic was highly forbidden, as blood magic was connected to demons. It was said, that the first Darkspawn were Tevinter Magisters that used blood magic to enter the Golden City, the seat of the maker. Only that their arrival corrupted the Golden City, and they were cast back as Darkspawn.

 

It seemed that Katarina knew that they were in danger. She had also stopped casting spells and stood still, mumbeling words of her own. Even with the fighting going on around her, she didn’t even flinch.

 

Then the apostate made her move. With a loud shout, still in the strange language, the blood floated closer to the apostate, before it hit her. Without leaving a mark on her long dress, it went into her body. It was if the air around them was on, and Daniel felt the hairs on his neck rise. The apostate was almost radiating magic, and even from this distance, Daniel and Simon could feel it on their bodies. There was no doubt about it. Whatever that was coming, was going to be big!

 

And right they were. The apostate opened her eyes and gave out a small laugh, before a beam of bright red light shot across the battlefield, right towards Katarina.

 

“No, Katarina!” Daniel and Simon shouted out in desperation as they saw the red light engulf Katarina. Sure that she was dead, Daniel fell to his knees.

 

“Look!” Simon suddenly shouted and Daniel looked back up. In the middle of the battlefield, a shining white ball surrounded Katarina, apparently having shielded her from the red blast! From the shimmering light that the ball, Daniel could see Katarina’s smile.

 

With new broad swing of her staff, Katarina shot what looked like a bolt through the air and hit the apostate. The apostate was lifted several inches into the air, screaming in pain. Duncan ran forward, holding his dual blades ready. Two highwaymen tried to stop him, but he swept both weapons in a broad forward arc, hitting both of them in the sides. As he came closer to the apostate, she fell back down to the ground again and before she could locate her staff again, Duncan had caught up with her. Even though Daniel and Simon stood on the other side of the battlefield, Daniel could almost hear as the Duncan’s blade went through her. As soon as the apostate fell to the ground, the flames stopped raining from the sky as well.

 

Daniel and Simon slid down the slope back down to the camp. Stepping over several bodies, they made their way to the middle of it, where the wardens had already started to patch each other up.

 

“How many dead?” Daniel heard Duncan ask Saunders Ivo.

 

“Only two of us, but we have several injured. Are you alright, Duncan?”

  
“I’m fine, nothing that a bandage won’t fix. Who is dead?”

 

“Two of the Orlesian Wardens. Hefnar and Eva.” Saunders Ivo pointed to a spot a few feet away. A dwarf man lay on the ground clearly dead. Next to him lay a woman. All the white fabric on her Warden armor had been colored red by her own blood. The rest of the Orlesian Wardens stood around the two bodies. Most had wounds and scratches, but none seemed to care much for themselves at the moment.

 

As Daniel and Simon approached, Duncan turned to them with worry across his face.

“Daniel, you are bleeding. Sit down and let me look.”

 

“I’m fine, it’s just a flesh wound.” Daniel said as he sat down on a log as Duncan examined his shoulder.

 

“Hmm…” Duncan mumbled as he carefully peeled off Daniel’s armor around the wound, “It looks like you’re right. I can see bone though. Are you in any pain?”

 

“N-no, not really.” Daniel said nervously. He knew that his body was too hyped up from the fighting to let him feel his injury to its full extent yet.

 

“What about you Simon? You’re… covered in blood!” Duncan said in horror as he looked over at Simon. Daniel looked over as well, and felt a pit in his stomach when he saw the wound in Simon’s side.

 

“I’m… bleeding.” Simon said, looking shocked as he placed his hand on the wound and saw the blood covering his hands. Daniel noticed a shift in Simon’s balance and ran towards him as Simon started to fall. Daniel barely managed to catch his friend before he hit the ground, holding him securely in his arms.

“Katarina!” Daniel shouted as several others came rushing to help, “Katarina, help!”

First now Daniel noticed how pale Simon was. He must have been bleeding for a while.

“Simon! Simon, wake up!”


	5. Montsimmard

**Part V**

Simon felt his blood pumping. The excitement from what they had just done and what they had seen, rushed through his young body. He still held his longsword and dagger in his hands. As he looked down at them, he saw the blood dripping from them. He looked behind him, where the bodies of the three archers lay on the ground, two of his doing. The realization from what they had just done hit him, like if he’d hit a wall. He had actually killed someone! Fine, they had actually tried to kill him and Daniel, but still… As a pickpocket, he had never actually killed a person. The Shriek attack felt like it happened years ago, and what he did back then didn’t feel as real as this!

 

“Simon, are you alright?” Daniel said and put a hand on his shoulder. The touch from Daniel sent Simon back to reality.

 

“Yeah. I’m just… overwhelmed.” Simon finally said.

 

The two boys walked over to the camp again, where the Wardens had gathered to see who was injured and if anyone had been killed in the attack. Simon didn’t really pay attention as Duncan started to look Daniel over and tend to his shoulder. Suddenly Simon started to feel dizzy. He stumbled a little as his vision started to blur. His body started to feel cold, like from the core of his body and out!

 

He thought he knew what had happened to him, and with that in mind, he looked down. Something had slashed straight through his leather armor, leaving a long lash to his left side. The blood from the archers had hidden it quite well, as most of his armor was covered in blood, but now he noticed the fresh blood pumping out from his wound. He let his blades fall to the ground as he tried to cover the wound with his hands.

 

“Daniel…” Simon managed to say, and he noticed that his voice was shaking. “I’m bleeding…” He felt light headed and the world started to spin. A voice called out his name, but it was so far away, almost like an echo. Then as the darkness crept in on his vision, he felt the sensation of falling… and falling.

 

When Simon came to it, his eyelids felt unusually heavy as he opened them. From the little he could see, he was in a dimly lit chamber. He lay in a bed, covered in several thick blankets. He turned his head to get a better look at the room he was in. Next to his bed burned a wax candle, about the only light source in the room. Next to the table, in a flimsy looking chair, sat Daniel, sleeping. Simon almost didn’t recognize him without his armor on! He wore a dark green cotton shirt and wool pants. Daniel had dark rings under his eyes and Simon could only guess why. He also noticed Daniel’s bandaged shoulder. From the looks of it, he seemed to be fine. Thank Andraste for that!

 

Simon tried to speak, but his throat felt like it was filled with sand, and only a hoarse sound escaped his lips. That was enough though! Daniel opened his eyes and looked confused around for a second, before he noticed that Simon was looking straight at him. He almost jumped out from his chair as he rushed over to Simon, hugging him tightly! Simon had to moan as jolts of pain shot through his body.

 

“You’re finally awake!” Daniel said, as he looked him over. Simon felt a little guilty when he saw Daniel’s eyes filling with tears. “I was afraid you were never going to wake up!” he said, hugging him once again. This time, the pain didn’t just come from his sides, but from the corner of his own eyes as tears formed there. Daniel had been worried about him, and that made Simon feel horrible. It wasn’t like he had meant to worry him or anything like that, but it still hurt inside of him, thinking about it.

 

“I’ll run and get Katarina, hang on!” and with that, Daniel ran out from the little room. Simon tried to sit up straight, but as soon as he tried to move, he felt a new jolt of pain to his side. After a few minutes, Simon heard rushed footsteps outside, before four people entered the room. Daniel and Katarina was the only ones he could recognize, but the other two was unknown to Simon. One was an elderly man with a long, grey beard and the other was a dwarf woman with short, brown hair.

 

“Ahh, you’re awake. Good!” Katarina said as she walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. “We were afraid you weren’t going to wake up, Simon.” She said, smiling warmly at him. Simon tried to speak again, only resulting in unrecognizable sounds. He settled down on a smile of his own.

 

“You lost a lot of blood in the battle and fell unconscious after. Do you remember?” she asked, studying him. Simon tried to remember, but he couldn’t make out any images from the battle. The things he did remember was the blood dripping from his sword and dagger. He nodded slowly, not feeling that well at the moment.

 

“Good.” she said before getting back up again. “This is Cassius Markett, the healer who saved your life.” Katarina stepped back and let the elderly man step forward. Now Simon saw just how old the man really was! He had deep wrinkles, covering his entire face. His grey hair and beard looked like they were made from cobwebs and the man had very thin limbs. If Simon didn’t know any better, he would have thought that this man was a walking skeleton!

 

“I could only hold you stable until we came here. He is the reason you are still alive, Simon.” Katarina said, and the old man bowed before looking Simon over. Without warning, he lifted the covers and looked at Simon’s body underneath. As Simon followed his gaze, and noticed the bandages covering his abdomen and lower ribs. They were a little bloody, but considering how much he had been bleeding from the little he could remember, this looked a lot better!

 

The man didn’t say anything as started to examine the bandages, looking for more bleeding. Seemingly happy with the bandages, he gave Simon a quick smile before giving Katarina a nod. Then the old man and the young dwarf woman left the room.

 

“You should rest some more, Simon. Try to get something to eat and drink, if you can. I’ll send Daniel to get you some soup and water, to start with.” Katarina said, and before she even finished the sentence, Daniel made his way out of the room again, seemingly to get Simon something to eat. Katarina looked after him, before turning to Simon again.

 

“He was really worried about you.” She said, still looking a little concerned, “You should try to reassure him when he comes back with your food and drink.” Katarina gave Simon one last smile before leaving the room as well.

 

Simon once again, felt guilty for being injured! He never meant to hurt Daniel or any of the others. With a lot of effort and more jolts of pain, he managed to sit up straight in the bed, just in time as well. Daniel soon came into the room again, with a bowl of hot soup and a mug of water, smiling from ear to ear.

 

“Here you go.” Daniel said as he put down the bowl and water on the small table, before sitting back in his chair, visibly cheerful.

 

Daniel told Simon about the time after Simon fell. Katarina, Duncan and Daniel had gone ahead with Simon to Montsimmard while the rest of the Wardens moved the bodies of the highwaymen and buried their dead. They had taken him to the Grey Warden fortress and quickly found the healer, Cassius. Two day before Simon woke up, Duncan, Tanyl and Saunders Ivo had left Montsimmard with the Orlesian Warden Commander and around 15 other wardens, heading for Weisshaupt Fortress. Katarina had stayed behind; wanting to make sure that Simon was all right. Duncan and the others were expected to be back within a couple of months.

 

Simon lay in bed for two more days before he managed to start walking. His body felt beaten up, but he made progress every day. He had to use crutches to help him stand up at first, even though Daniel followed him everywhere and made sure Simon did all right. Whenever Simon felt some pain, Daniel quickly grabbed hold of his shoulders, making sure Simon didn’t fall over or something. It was very sweet just how much Daniel took care of him.

 

Simon and Daniel spent every single day together, exploring the Orlesian Warden Headquarters. It was a lot bigger and a lot freer than the underground facility in Jader. This one was a small estate, fully equipped with own walls and towers within the city. Simon had managed to make his way to the battlements to look out on the city around them. The city of Montsimmard was bigger than anything Simon has seen before. It was definitely much bigger than Denerim, only judging by the size of the buildings around them! Much like the other cities of Orlais, the buildings stood out from what Simon was used to, by using vivid colors and towering spires.

 

Even though Simon wasn’t able to start his training, Daniel’s shoulder soon healed, and he could finally start his Grey Warden training. Simon often accompanied Daniel to his training sessions, which was mostly sparring sessions with the master at arms and his apprentices.

 

“Keep your shield higher, Daniel!” The master of arms, Kahul, very big for being a dwarf, shouted at Daniel.

“I’m raising it as high as I can!” Daniel shouted back, frustrated. This session had lasted over an hour, and Daniel was exhausted. The wonderful weather didn’t help either. It was blazing hot outside in the courtyard where they were training. Simon sat by the edge, close to the walls, watching carefully as the sparring continued.

 

Daniel’s sparring partner today was a quick and ruthless dalish woman, Salessa, who more or less smashed Daniel into the ground again and again with her powerful greatsword. Even though they were sparring weapons, dull blades and designed to not cut anyone, the greatsword hurt a bit as she hit Daniel. Her greatsword was crafted out of heavy wood, making a loud ‘ _smack’_ sound as it hit him. It was strange to see such a small woman as Salessa, swing around the huge sword as easily, slashing out in broad strokes, one going under Daniel’s shield and knocking him off his feet.

“Remember to not block your vision for too long at a time, Daniel.” Kahul sighed as Daniel got back up on his feet.

 

“I’m exhausted… ” Daniel said tryingly, not meeting Kahul’s eyes.

 

“That’s no excuse!” Kahul shouted and walked closer to Daniel, shoving a thick finger into his chest, “A battle with Darkspawn can last hours, especially under a Blight, when it’s thousands of them on the surface. You need to build up your stamina, Daniel! Go again.” He said and without warning, Salessa moved towards Daniel again, that had his sword and shield lowered after talking to Kahul. In under ten seconds, Daniel was on the ground again, as he’d been several times during this training session.

 

“Damn it!” Daniel cursed as he sat back up again. Kahul sighed deeply and walked out on the field.

 

“Never lower your guard in a fight.” He said, his voice stern, but his face looked slightly worried as he helped Daniel get back up on his feet. “AGAIN!” Kahul shouted as he walked off the field.

 

The session lasted another 15 minutes before Kahul finally let Daniel off, not very impressed with him though.

 

“I’m sore all over…” Daniel said to Simon as they slowly made their way to Daniel’s chamber.

 

“You took quite a lot of hits today, so it’s not really that surprising.” Simon said, trying his best to keep a straight face. It had been a little fun to watch Daniel getting knocked to the ground by a woman shorter than him, but with a sword much bigger than him!

 

“I should have been better.” Daniel said his voice a little darker than usual, as they entered Daniel’s chambers.

 

It wasn’t a single chamber, like the one Simon had at the moment, but a chamber with four bunk beds. Daniel had capped a bed ready for Simon when he could change chambers as well, over his own bed.

 

“It’s not supposed to be easy!” Simon said, trying his best to comfort his friend, as Daniel sat down in his bed. “We knew that training to become a Grey Warden, to become as great as Tanyl, Duncan or Saunders Ivo or even Katarina, would be hard work.” Simon said, sitting down next to Daniel and put his arm around his shoulder. This seemed to lighten Daniel’s mood slightly, as he gave Simon a warm smile.

 

“Thanks, Simon. I guess you’re right. I can’t give up. This is what I wanted, at least to some degree.” Daniel said as he started to take off his training armor.

 

The armor was pretty much just his usual armor, but with wooden plates covering his chest, arms and chins. This was to at least give him some protection against the blows he would receive during training. Simon felt the heat on his own face as Daniel started to remove the different parts of his armor, and soon he stood there bare chested in front of him. Simon remembered the last time he’d seen Daniel take off his armor in front of him, back in Jader. Determined to not look away this time, he held his breath as Daniel loosened the belt around his waist. Daniel didn’t seem to care if Simon was looking or not, and dropped his training armor to the ground, standing in front of Daniel as naked as the day he’d been born. Simon couldn’t help but to gasp from the sight. Daniel’s body was pale, but flawless. Like his chest, Daniel’s legs looked well defined for his young age. Simon could see the blonde hairs, barely visible on his slender legs. As Simon was sitting in the bed, and Daniel was standing up, Simon got a very good look at what made him almost shiver from excitement. In the middle of his slender legs and firm chest, was Daniel’s privates, and Simon couldn’t remember seeing one so beautiful! It was flaccid, maybe around 3 inches and with a nice little bush around the base. A small trail of hair lead up to his belly button, something Simon couldn’t remember seeing last time.

 

Far too soon, Daniel reached for a pair of wool trousers and stepped into them, still with Simon watching him. As soon as Daniel had finished dressing, now in the wool pants and a nice cotton shirt, he looked back on Simon, and smiled for a second, before his face turned worried.

 

“Simon, are you alright? You don’t look so good!” Daniel said and took a step closer to Simon. Now Simon actually remembered that he’d held his breath for almost the entire time that Daniel took his clothes off. He probably looked a little blue from holding his breath. Finally letting himself breathe again, he placed his hand on the bandage, before pretending to be in pain. Everything was better than letting Daniel know of the feelings that made Simon’s body feel like it was boiling and his own privates was as hard as his dwarven longsword.

 

After another four days, Simon started to feel like his old self again. His bandages finally came off, only leaving a scar.

 

“But you have to take it slow, alright? No hard training for you yet. You should start by just walking around the place.” Katarina said firmly as she removed his bandages, looking sternly at Simon.

 

Simon and Daniel were together almost every single hour of the day now, especially now that Simon shared chambers with Daniel. The others in their chamber were all warden recruits, but they were going to join before both Simon and Daniel. For now, it was six other recruits. Two of them were the twins Darien and Aiden, both from Lydes. Since they were twins, Simon hard a hard time seeing the difference between the two, but as soon as he got to know them better, he learned that they were very different. They may have the same bright blue eyes and golden curls, but Darien was very quiet and rarely said anything, while Aiden almost never shut up. They both spoke with the strange Orlesian accent, which Simon had come to love now, surrounded by people speaking it.

 

Most of the Wardens and recruits of Montsimmard was from Orlais. Even the elven Wardens came from here. Simon never expected there to be many Dwarves in the Wardens here though, so far away from the Frostback Mountains, but there was quite a few! The head chef, a very strict woman was a dwarf. Simon never dared say to her that her food wasn’t the best in the world, as he’d seen her handle a butcher’s knife. Then it was the master of arms, Kahul and one of the recruits was a dwarf.

 

The weeks flew by quickly as Simon started his own weapon training. Like Daniel, Kahul oversaw Simon’s training, but to his surprise, he got another sparring partner his first time.

 

“Simon, this is Riordan, your sparring partner.” Kahul said and a tall and lean man stepped onto the training grounds. He had dark hair, braided on the sides and Simon got the feeling that this man wasn’t one to mess with! Like Simon, he had a sword and a dagger. Dual wielding seemed to be very popular with the Wardens! Riordan bowed quickly to Simon, not saying a word before readying his two blades. These were blunt sparring blades, so it was impossible to cut someone. Simon drew his own blades giving Riordan a nod.

 

“Ready yourself…” Kahul said and both Riordan and Simon tensed up. Simon was determined not to mess up as hard as Daniel did in his first training session, not even lasting ten seconds before he was knocked to the ground.

 

“And go!” Kahul shouted at the end of the field. Simon quickly stepped forward, but was shocked when he saw Riordan running toward him, his blades down his sides! Simon stopped and held his blades ready to deflect a blow from Riordan, but it didn’t seem like Riordan had any plans of hitting him yet. Riordan slid right between Simon’s open legs and around to his back, and before Simon could do anything he had Riordan’s blade against his neck.

 

“Never stand still.” Riordan whispered in Simon’s ear before taking his blade away and walking around to Simon’s front again. Simon heard Kahul sigh from the other side of the field. This was a lot worse than what Daniel had done! Simon had barely lasted five seconds! Simon looked to his left, where Daniel sat gawking at him, not really sure if he should laugh or not. Riordan was incredibly fast, much faster than Simon had anticipated him to be.

 

“Go again!” Kahul shouted and Riordan started moving straight away. This time, Simon made sure his legs wasn’t far enough apart for Riordan to slide through them. He shouldn’t even have bothered, as Riordan went straight for Simon’s front. Swinging both blades at the same time, he quickly delivered three blows with both blades at the same time that hit Simon hard in the chest and sides, making him stumble backwards. Riordan didn’t even give Simon time to recover before he made his next move and delivered a swiping low kick, knocking Simon’s feet off balance even more, resulting in Simon falling straight on his backside.

 

The rest of the hour-long sparring session didn’t go much better. Riordan never used the same tactic twice, making him very hard to predict. Once, he even threw what looked like smoke on the ground, before vanishing into thin air and suddenly stand behind Simon, with his blade on Simon’s neck. At this stage, more people had come to see the Simon and Riordan sparring, but most of the Wardens only laughed as Riordan took Simon out again and again.

 

“Don’t feel too bad. Riordan is a Senior Warden.” Aiden said comforting to Simon after the sparring session. Simon and Daniel followed Darien and Aiden to the main hall to eat. Simon felt like his body had been beaten to a plump, as Riordan also had hit him multiple times with the dull blades, mostly around his back.

 

“All recruits take on a good trained Warden during their first sparring sessions, so that you see what’s expected of you.” Aiden continued as they sat down to eat.

 

“Aiden and I took on Riordan too, but together. It didn’t help much!” Darien laughed, “He took us both out at the same time!”

 

“He was so fast!” Simon said, cursing to himself. Simon had gotten in only one blow on Riordan, but only to his sides and wouldn’t have been fatal to him.

 

“You’ll do better…” Daniel said, patting Simon on the back, “I’m doing much better now and you will too!”

 

“I hope so…” Simon said, feeling warm again. It happened every single time that Daniel touched him and it only got worse.

 

“No need to blush.” Darien said comfortably, giving Simon a bright smile. Using this opportunity as a cover for the growing hardness in his trousers, Simon just nodded, trying to ignore Daniel’s hand still resting on his back.

 

And the twins were right. Even though Simon didn’t spar against Riordan next time, he did a lot better. This time it was against Salessa, who had a hard time connecting her blows. Simon figured that the heavy sword would tire her out if she continued striking into thin air for much longer. After a long swipe, Simon noticed a slight hesitation, and made his move. Like Riordan did on him, he slid right between her wide stance, before quickly getting up behind her, resting his blade against her neck.

 

Daniel made huge improvements as well, mastering the shield techniques that Kahul taught him. As the seasons changed, Simon and Daniel had gotten pretty good with their weapon classes.

 

“As usual with our recruits, we’ll let them have it against each other as part of their training.” Kahul announced to the packed training ground, where Daniel and Simon stood face to face. It was a lovely day and most of the Wardens had drifted outside to watch the sparring.

 

“Good luck.” Simon said confident and Daniel smiled back, before holding his shield ready.

 

“You too!” Daniel said, raising his shield.

 

“You boys ready?” Kahul said, seemingly pleased. Now both Simon and Daniel had the blunt steel weapons that was more like the ones they would use in a real battle situation. Daniel now had a steel kite shield as well, with the Grey Warden emblem on the front. Simon could barely see Daniel’s face, as his upper body and face was behind the cover of his shield. The only thing that Simon could see was the blue eyes staring over the shield. Simon could see the intensity in them and it brought a shiver down Simon’s spine. He couldn’t think of Daniel as an ally at the moment, but as the target he was going to take down. And from the looks of it, it seemed like Daniel had the same thoughts.

 

“Aaaand… GO!”

 

Simon leaped forward, determined to get the first strike. Simon’s much lighter armor have him increased agility compared to Daniel, something Simon was going to use to his advantage. As long as Daniel never hit him with his sword, Simon should be fine.

 

Simon closed the distance, and just as Daniel lunged forward with his sword, Simon slid down on his knees, sliding under Daniel’s slash and behind his right side. Simon was sure that the fight was over when he got back up on his feet and whirled around with his sword. To his surprise, Daniel’s shield blocked him and Simon’s sword literally bounced off the shield. Simon watched in horror as Daniel bashed his shield at him, especially since his footing wasn’t great to start with. Simon felt the cold steel from the shield hit him in the face and knock him to the ground.

 

Barely able to look straight, Simon saw Daniel’s looming body stand over him, holding his sword ready to strike. Acting on impulse, Simon grabbed a handful of sand and threw it against Daniel. He knew he was fighting dirty, but it gave Simon enough time to get back on his feet and take a few steps away from Daniel. As soon as he managed to see straight again, Simon noticed Daniel’s red eyes. He had probably gotten some of the sand in them, which was perfect for Simon! Using the extra few seconds to steady himself and plan out his next move. While Daniel seemed to shake it off, Simon changed the grip of his dual blades. Simon had a plan!

 

Daniel seemed to be all right again, which was part of Simon’s plan after all. Simon needed Daniel to make the first move and get out of his defensive position. Therefore, Simon started to circle around Daniel, staying just outside his range, but threatening enough for Daniel to have to have his shield ready. Simon took a quick step forward, taunting Daniel. He flinched for a second, but didn’t go out to attack. Maybe Simon had to make the first move after all. Reaching a decision, Simon lunged forward with his longsword, hitting on Daniel’s shield side. As planned, Daniel tried to counter it, striking at Simon while deflecting Simon’s blade with his shield. Using the new grip on his dagger, Simon pushed Daniel’s blade up and away, while pushing forward into the opening that had occurred in the middle of Daniel’s arms.

 

Then the world was turned up-side-down for Simon. In the middle of his riposte, he noticed the change in balance in Daniel. Looking to his right, he watched in horror as the edge of Daniel’s shield came rushing towards him, before finally hitting Simon straight in the face, again! Simon stood there, dazzled for a moment before Daniel once again bashed his shield at Simon, knocking him off his feet.

 

The surrounding crowd suddenly cheered as they realized that the battle was over at this point. Simon was laying on the ground, bleeding from his broken nose and with Daniel’s sword against his neck.

 

“And the winner of this recruit showdown is Daniel!” Kahul announced to the cheering Wardens around them. Simon had barely noticed their shouts and cheers as they fought.

 

“You alright?” Daniel grinned down at him.

 

“Yeah, I think you just broke my nose though!” Simon said, getting back on his feet with some help from Daniel.

 

“Ohh, my apologies! I just wanted to knock you down.” Daniel said, still with the grin on his face. Simon couldn’t help but to smile back. He’d just got his ass kicked by Daniel, and he somehow didn’t really mind it either. He knew how much work Daniel had put into his training.

 

“Good work, you two!” Kahul said, stepping closer to the two of them, patting each of them on the back. “Simon, you made a few mistakes, but that last move could have gone either way for you.”

 

“I agree. Well done you two.” A familiar voice suddenly said behind them. Looking very pleased and smiling, stood Duncan. Behind him stood both Tanyl and Saunders Ivo, the two of them smiling as well. “Well done indeed.”

 

“Duncan!” both Daniel and Simon shouted in unison and ran over to them. Duncan looked tired, but happy to see them.

 

“I can’t believe that you’re back already!” Daniel said, obviously surprised to see Duncan and the other two.

 

“Me either. The journey went a lot smoother than we thought it would. Now… Simon,” Duncan said, turning his attention to Simon, “I’m glad to see you up and running again. Are you feeling any pain still?”

 

“No. Cassius fixed me up good.” Simon said, smiling from ear to ear.

 

“Good. I wasn’t feeling very good about leaving you here hurt, but we had to push on, so we would be back before winter. It seems like we might just make it back to Ferelden again before the worst sets in.” Duncan said thoughtful.

 

“What? You’re not staying?!” Daniel almost shouted when he heard this. Duncan gave him a faint smile.

 

“No, I have to get back to Ferelden. I am the commander in Ferelden after all.” He said with a chuckle, “but you two, need to stay here.” He said, looking at Daniel and Simon in turn.

 

“No, we can’t! We want to go back to Ferelden with you guys, and girl.” Simon added when Katarina joined their little group.

 

“The two of you need to complete your training. Your full training, including your joining.” Duncan added when Simon started to protest. “And as of now, the two of you are too young to join. I don’t think the First Warden would like to have two fifteen year olds join his ranks. Maybe in a year. And when you’re ready, you can join me and the others back in Ferelden, if you chose to.” Duncan said firmly, his voice not giving room for any discussion on the matter.

 

Simon and Daniel said their goodbyes to Duncan, Tanyl, Sanders Ivo and Katarina as the four of them left for Ferelden, leaving Simon and Daniel in Orlais.

 

“I think we’ll be alright here.” Daniel said, patting Simon’s back, which immediately made Simon’s body shiver.

 

“Yeah… It’s just one year, right?” Simon said, trying to ignore the heat on his face. Daniel was right though. They were going to be alright here in Montsimmard. At least for a year.


	6. The one who waits...

**Part VI**

Winter came and went in Orlais, while Daniel and Simon continued to train, both physically and mentally. For Simon, this meant learning how to read and write. Growing up on the streets, Simon never learned those things. Daniel on the other hand had known this ever since he began his Templar training, and helped Simon learn these matters as well. The two of them were sitting in the Grey Wardens’ extensive library, reading old books about the previous Blights. Simon did his best to read out loud. He’d learned all the basics, but was still a very slow reader. Daniel remembered back when he had to learn this, and had to chuckle from Simon’s stammering.

 

“-We a-a-arrived at the battlefield at N-Nordbotten on our g-g-g… what’s that word?”

 

“Griffons.” Daniel said, smiling. Simon had made enormous progress in the short time he’d been reading. He barely needed any help anymore.

 

“Griffons? They had griffons?” Simon asked, excited. “Do you think they still do?”

 

“I don’t know… They have Griffons as their emblem, so maybe?” Daniel said, unsure. “Continue reading, you’re almost done,” he said firmly. They had to at least get to the bottom of the page before they finished up for the day.

 

“Alright, alright… -on our griffons. The battle seemed lost, but when we dived down from a-above, the army rallied to our side. This was our first victory against the Darkspawn. Let us hope we can defeat the… What’s that word?”

 

“Archdemon… I think,” Daniel said, looking on the word with curiosity. During his Templar training, Daniel had learned the different kinds of demons from the fade. Sloth, Pride, Rage, Desire, Dispair and Evny. He’d never heard of an Archdemon before.

 

 

“Let us hope we can defeat the Archdemon. There, done!” Simon said sighing loudly, slamming the book shut. “Now let us go get something to eat!” he added, and pretty much ran out the door. But Daniel stood there for a few more seconds, looking at the book, “The First Blight”. He hadn’t read it all yet, only the first few chapters, but he found it strange how vague the book was on why Grey Wardens are needed to battle the Darkspawn and the Blights. He had to look more into this…

 

“You coming?” Simon shouted from the door, which snapped Daniel out of it, and the two of them joined the others for a bite to eat.

 

Daniel and Simon made huge progresses in their weapon training now as well. The two of them were regular sparring partners now, and knew each other well enough to co-operate against others as well. This was key to being a Grey Warden, Kahul had said to them only a week before.

 

“You’ll take on a lot of Darkspawn at once, and covering each other is a crucial part of your survival in battle. Grey Wardens don’t battle alone,” He added, looking proudly at Daniel and Simon.

 

It was during one of these sparring sessions that Daniel and Simon started their next step in becoming a Grey Warden for real. The two of them were in the middle of a session, Simon seemingly winning, when they were approached by Aiden and Darien.

 

“Simon, Daniel, come with us.” Aiden shouted at them, and they both stopped to look up. Both Aiden and Darien look rather pale, but serious.

 

“What’s going on?” Daniel asked as he walked towards them.

 

“We were told to come get you. Riordan wants to talk to you.” Aiden replied.

 

“Riordan? Why wo-“ Simon stared but were cut off by Darien.

 

“You’re going to go through the Joining sooner than anticipated.” He said calmly. Daniel and Simon looked at him with a mix of both shock and excitement.

 

“Let’s go. He’s waiting by the gates.” Darien added and turned around before starting to walk with his twin brother towards the gates. Daniel and Simon exchanged a look, before following.

 

They walked the short distance to the gates, where Riordan was waiting for them. With him were the other four recruits as well.

 

“Alright, everyone is here. I have been charged to bring the eight of you to your Joining. We’re going to leave Montsimmard for at least a week, so you should all pack your gear and supplies. We leave in the morning,” Riordan said, looking at each of the recruits in turn. Daniel raised his hand and Riordan nodded at him, giving him permission to speak.

 

“Sir, Simon and I aren’t set to do out Joining before summer…” Daniel said unsure. “We were told that we were too young to become Grey Wardens before we were sixteen.”

 

“The First Warden has approved the two of you to take your Joining now, with the other recruits of Montsimmard,” Riordan replied. “If that’s all... Pack your armor and weapons. Leave anything you don’t need behind. We’re going to travel a hard journey and we don’t need the extra weight.”

 

After a few extra instructions, the recruits left to pack. Simon and Daniel returned to the training grounds to finish their session.

 

“Why do you think its fine that we join the Grey Wardens now when it was out of the question just six months ago?” Simon asked quietly as they walked.

 

“I don’t know, but I guess we have to make our decision to either leave Orlais or go to Ferelden sooner rather than later,” Daniel said as they set up their positions again. “You ready?” Daniel asked, smiling.

 

“You bet,” Simon replied with a wink.

 

The two boys started to circle each other. They had fought each other so many times now, that they knew each other’s moves perfectly. That didn’t stop them from making mistakes every now and then.

 

Simon made the first move. He had finally learned some of Riordan’s tricks, and threw something on the ground, covering the area around them in smoke. Daniel raised his shield and tried to look into the smoke surrounding him, but it was too thick. A sound behind him, made Daniel turn around to find Simon there, his sword already raised. Daniel, who still had his shield up managed to block the sword, before Simon vanished into the smoke again. Daniel knew that Simon only had about a minute before the smoke dissolved and he didn’t have anywhere to hide anymore. Movement to the left! Daniel barely managed to block this one, feeling the dull blade hit his arm.

 

“Hit!” he heard Simon shout, and Daniel dropped his shield. Rules were rules after all. Holding his sword in both hands, he spun around, trying to see where Simon was. He finally spotted him on the other side of the grounds, his sword and dagger ready. So he wanted to take him on without a shield? Daniel could work with that.

 

“What? You afraid that I’ll break your nose again with my shield?” Daniel taunted him, grinning wide. He knew that Simon didn’t like to think about how Daniel had broken his nose their first time fighting.

 

Simon ran towards him, lashing out wish his sword. Daniel blocked it with his own, only to see Simon’s dagger come towards him low. Jumping back, he managed to evade it, but Simon wasn’t done. Holding his blades in front of him, he swung them in two broad arcs, like they had seen Duncan do once. Daniel acted on instinct and pretty much combat rolled under them, landing almost directly under Simon. With all his might, he kicked Simon in the chest, actually lifting him off the ground and made him airborne for a second, before he landed on his back a few feet away.

 

Daniel got back on his feet, wanting to use Simon’s fall to his advantage. He rushed towards Simon and struck with his blade. Simon managed to roll away from it, and quickly back on his feet. He had a hand on his chest where Daniel had kicked him, looking like it hurt a little. Daniel shook his head. He couldn’t think of Simon as a friend at this moment! He had to-

 

His thoughts were abruptly disrupted as Simon started to lash out a flurry of blows. Daniel couldn’t deflect them all with his single sword, and felt several of Simon’s attacks connect. Simon didn’t stop with this. Switching the grip of his dagger in the middle of an attack, he managed to deflect Daniel’s sword to the side and struck a final blow into Daniel’s abdomen. Both breathing heavily, they smiled at each other.

 

“Well fought. You still need to use your shield better.” Simon said, hitting him in the shoulder playfully.

 

“Yes, I know. You’re getting the hang of that smoke grenade now.” Daniel said, picking up his shield again. “Shall we go pack?” Daniel said, patting his friend on the back before starting to walk towards their quarters.

 

 

Simon was both exhausted and thrilled. Both for the fact that he’d won against Daniel and because they would go through their joining almost six months before they first thought. Simon liked Montsimmard and all, but he really missed Ferelden! He even missed the plain buildings and not having to ask twice what people said, because he didn’t understand their accent!

 

Simon opened the heavy wooden door to their shared quarters, only to find the rest of the recruits pack their belongings into bags. Both Aiden and Darien had finished and sat on their beds talking. They looked up when Simon and Daniel entered and gave them a bright smile.

 

“Who won today?” Aiden asked smirking slightly.

 

“Simon did this time, even without breaking his nose first,” Daniel teased. Simon felt the heat on his face. Daniel loved to bring that up to tease him! His nose had healed pretty quickly though. Cassius could really perform some miracles with his magic! Now it was all fixed and straight again.

 

“You two finished already?” Simon asked, not really as interested in the answer as he was in changing the topic.

 

“Yes, I just put my armor on and packed some arrows and I was done. My bedroll has been ready for months,” Aiden said nonchalantly. His brother just nodded towards his own pack, where his broadsword rested neatly against his armor.

 

“Is that armor new?” Daniel asked, starting to take off his training armor. Simon felt the usual heat building up in his body as soon as Daniel started to show some of that pale skin of his. You’d think that after six months of seeing it pretty much every single day would get him used to it, but it only got worse! At record time, Simon felt the hardness press against his own training armor. Daniel continued undressing, even though one of the other recruits was a woman. But Daniel hadn’t cared for six months now that people were watching and today was no different. He quickly loosened the belt and strings that tied his training armor together and quickly stepped out of them. Simon had to swallow a few times and take a few deep breaths to calm the nerves. The display only lasted a few seconds though, as Daniel quickly found his normal set of trousers and stepped into them.

 

Now that Daniel had finished changing, Simon turned around to undress himself. He wore much lighter armor than Daniel did, even during training, so it took some time to get it all off his body. Once he only had his trousers left, he made sure that he had his normal clothes close by, so he could get into them as soon as possible. Simon loosened the belt around his waist that held it up, and untied the knots that held the fly together. Counting to three inside his head, Simon quickly stepped out of them and into his normal ones in under a second. Once he had it held in a safe height, he turned around to tie it off. Once he had turned around, he noticed Daniel looking his way, but once Simon saw him looking, he looked away. Simon’s jaw dropped when he noticed how red his cheeks and ears turned. Could it be… No it couldn’t. Daniel wasn’t like him, he knew that. Daniel was a Templar for Andraste’s sake!

 

The recruits finished packing and soon the night fell. Simon was tossing and turning in his bed, unable to sleep. He heard the deep breaths from the other recruits as they slept. He couldn’t do this anymore. He’d been thinking about Daniel for hours now and it was driving him insane! Simon figured that maybe a walk would calm him, so he slowly got up and jumped down from the top bunk of the bed. The room was pitch black, so he had to feel his way to the heavy door. He opened it just enough for him to slip through. He hadn’t even made it ten steps from the door when it opened again and Daniel’s messy hair peeked out from it, looking confused at him,

 

“Simon? What are you doing? Where are you going?”

 

“I can’t sleep. I’m just going to take a walk. Go back to bed Daniel.” Simon said softly.

 

“No. Wait a second,” Daniel said as he stepped into the stone hall and carefully closed the door behind him. “I want to join you.” He said and gave Simon a smile. He was obviously tired, but determined to join him in a little walk. Simon wanted to say no, but Daniel’s smile made him melt on the inside. He sighed and waved for him to come closer.

 

The two of them strolled onto the battlements, where a few Grey Wardens patrolled, but none stopped them. They talked about where they would go with Riordan and the other recruits and what could possibly await them. They stopped at one of the corners of the battlements to look out on Montsimmard. Most of the city was dark, but the light from the stars and moon cast their light onto the many buildings surrounding them. From their vantage point, they looked like the trees and mountains when they traveled here. The thought of their journey here hit Simon as he stood there with Daniel. Flashes from the night before they found Daniel, the Shriek and the dark blood flowing down the blade, flashed before his eyes. His thoughts must have shown, because Daniel put his arm around him and looked worried at him.

 

“You seem thoughtful, Simon.” Daniel said, studying him closely.

 

“I just thought of the night before we found you.” Simon said and looked at Daniel, “Of the night that I killed the Shriek and how much my life has changed ever since then. I’ve gotten great friends that I care for and wouldn’t lose for anything. I’ve never had that before.”

 

“I know what you mean.” Daniel said, hugging him tighter, “Before I met you I didn’t have many friends to speak of, other than the other boys in the chantry, but I never felt for them, what I feel for you,” Daniel said seriously and Simon looked a little shocked at him. What was he saying?

 

“What are you saying, Daniel?” he said, echoing his thoughts. Then Daniel spun him around and gave him a two arm hug so tight that Simon could feel the heat from Daniel’s body. He was so warm and he smelled so nice… No, wait!

  
“What are you doing? I can’t-“ Simon tried to say but something caught his attention. Something hard poked him down below. Right where… “Daniel!” Simon almost shouted out in shock.

 

“Yes, Simon?” Daniel asked softly, not loosening his grip around him. Simon couldn’t help it. He had tried to hold it back ever since Daniel put his arm around him but now…

Simon felt his own hardness rub against Daniel’s as if in a dance, rubbing against each other, throbbing from the excitement. Simon felt as though he had gone mute. He could only breathe in and out. Finally,

Daniel loosened his grip on Simon, but didn’t let him go. He held his hands on the other boy’s shoulders while looking Simon over and giving him a heartfelt smile. And before Simon could do anything, Daniel leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. The pure shock from this gave Simon back his speech.

 

“Daniel, I-“ Simon blurted out, but Daniel silenced him with another kiss, this time more intense. Instinct took over for Simon as he kissed back. Simon opened his mouth slightly and felt Daniel do the same. The two of them stood there kissing for what felt like an eternity, before a sudden noise brought them back to reality. A Warden patrolling the battlements had just opened a door further away. Simon and Daniel exchanged another look before letting each other go. Now that their bodies weren’t as close anymore, it was easy to see each other’s hardness poking the fabric of their trousers.

 

“Umm… Maybe we should go… somewhere else?” Daniel said, his face looking a little flushed.

 

“Good idea.” Simon agreed and the two of them went down from the battlements with haste. “Where could we go…?” Simon asked, a little out of breath from the excitement.

 

“In here,” Daniel said, shoving Simon in a small doorway. The room had a fire going in there and Simon recognized it as the kitchens!

 

“We can’t be in here!” Simon said as whispered as Daniel closed the door behind him and the two of them had the room for themselves.

 

“No one will be here for hours still, don’t worry,” Daniel said as he closed the distance between them and planted another kiss on Simon’s lips. This made Simon forget that they were hiding in the kitchens. Simon couldn’t take much more of this. He had to get what he’d wanted for six months now.

 

As they were kissing more intensely by the second, Simon let one of his hands wander down Daniel’s chest. Even through the fabric, he could feel the muscles underneath. Daniel parted their lips as he felt Simon’s hand go further and further down his chest.

 

“Simon…” he almost whispered. Simon wasn’t sure if it was longing in his eyes or if it was just pure lust! Daniel seemed like he wanted to help out, as he soon lifted his shirt off, leaving him bare chested in front of Simon. Even in the flickering light from the fireplace, Daniel looked magnificent. Simon felt the heat from Daniel’s skin on his fingertips as he explored his chest, his nipples and further down to the belly button. Again, Daniel lent him a hand, as he placed his own hand on top of his own, and guided it further down to where something bulged the fabric of his thin trousers. Simon’s heart was beating faster than ever, no doubt about that! He’d never been this excited before!

 

As soon as his fingertips touched the hardness down there, Daniel moaned softly.

“Has anyone ever… touched you before?”

 

“No, never. You?”

 

Simon shook his head. He had never done this with anyone before or even been close enough with anyone to do this. What the guards had done to him had been awful and wrong so he didn’t count what they had done to him. This felt better in all sorts of ways and it felt right!

 

He let his hand be guided up a little, before Daniel hooked his thumbs around the waist of his trousers, leaving a gap for Simon’s hand. Accepting the invitation, Simon let his hand slip inside, feeling the soft skin surrounding the hard flesh. It felt fantastic on his hands. Somehow, it felt very different from his own. From what he could feel, Daniel had more skin than Simon did, it even covered the entire tip.

 

“I want to see it.” Simon said, looking Daniel in the eye. Without more exchange of words, Daniel pulled the few strings that held his trousers together, letting it fall to the ground. It looked as perfect as Simon had felt with his hands. It was around six inches long with a few blond hairs around the base and the thin trail going up to his navel. Even though he was hard, the skin still covered the tip completely.

 

Simon wrapped his hand around Daniel’s hardness and Daniel closed his eyes, clearly enjoying himself. Simon leaned in for another kiss as he started to move his hand up and down the shaft.

 

“Ohh, Simon…” Daniel purred into Simon’s neck, before Daniel’s hands started to move under his own shirt. “Take it off, please,” He begged, and Simon did as he was told, quickly letting go of Daniel’s throbbing hardness and pulled his own shirt off, exposing his tanned skin to the flickering light of the fire. Not wanting to waste any more time, he quickly undid the knot holding his own trousers up, letting them fall to the ground before stepping out of them. Now both boys were nude as they continued their kissing. The two of them were so close now that their members pressed against each other, making the boys moan as they kissed more intensely. Simon felt Daniel’s hands move down his back and down to his butt cheeks, grabbing hold of them and giving them a quick squeeze that made Simon jump a little.

 

“You liked that?” Daniel smiled and gave them another squeeze. Simon kissed back in reply. He loved Daniel’s soft hands, where ever they went. He almost sighed in disappointment when Daniel’s hands left his backside, but instead he moaned as Daniel started stroking his own length. Simon was around five and a half inches when hard, but his skin retracted all the way back, exposing the red head. They looked so different, but it was as if they belonged together, so close to each other.

 

“Daniel… if you go on for much longer…” Simon whispered, a little out of breath as he felt him getting closer to the end.

 

“I know. Me too...”

 

With that, Daniel grabbed both of their members in his hands and stroked them, pushing them against each other with his strong grip. Simon felt something boiling inside him and he couldn’t help but moan loudly as his sack tightened, his penis shooting strings of his seed in between their two bodies. This sent Daniel over the edge as well, sending his own fluids flying as well. Their combined seed splashed against their flat bellies and down onto their swelling members.

 

As their seed dripped down onto the stone floor beneath them, the two boys tried to catch their breath again. This experience had left them panting as if they’d been running for fifteen minutes, instead of the actual five they had enjoyed with each other.

 

“That… was amazing.” Daniel finally said, breaking the silence.

 

“Yeah. I don’t think I’ll have a problem sleeping anymore,” Simon said back. The only thing still keeping him on his feet, was Daniel’s strong arms around him, hugging them tightly together. Simon’s head rested on Daniel’s shoulder, breathing in the scent of him. It was almost a little intoxicating!

 

“Maybe… We should clean up a little?” Daniel suggested with a chuckle. Not a bad idea, Simon though. Their seed covered their bellies and deflating members. They cleaned themselves up with a little water, before heading back to bed. They wouldn’t get much sleep before they had to get back up again, but it had been worth it. Simon and Daniel had been intimate, something Simon had dreamed of for months!


	7. The Joining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick warning here; there is some very graphic descriptions of violence and character death!

**Part VII**

Next morning, Simon and Daniel sat on their horses riding out from Montsimmard and into the vast wilderness. Their little group of nine was riding with Riordan in front and Senior Warden Sean in the back. They rode down the roads towards Val Firmin for almost a day before taking leaving the Imperial Highway, heading into the wilderness towards Gamordan Peaks.

 

After a couple of days of intense riding through thick woods and steep hills, they reached their destination; a secluded side of the mountain, almost cave like. By the looks of the walls, it was made by living beings, not nature. A small group of Wardens were waiting for them there. Three of them were dwarves and one was a tall man and by the looks of his long blue robe, a mage.

 

“Anything to report?” Riordan asked the mage as they came closer.

 

“Nothing yet. We have only scouted a little of the cave. It does indeed go into the Deep Roads, and there are traces of Darkspawn as well, but we haven’t seen a live one yet.”

 

“Good. Sean and I will head down tomorrow with the recruits,” Riordan finally said as he dismounted from his horse. He turned to them with a stern look. “We will set up camp here. Get some rest and prepare yourself for tomorrow.”

 

Simon looked over at Daniel, who looked a little pale, and nodded. They set up their small tents and started a fire. The Wardens that were already here hadn’t had the time to set up a proper camp yet, as they had been down into the caves most of their time.

 

“Do you think… we will see Darkspawn tomorrow?” Darien asked as he and Simon collected more wood for the fire. Simon noticed that his usually calm and steady voice, was shaking a little as he spoke.

 

“I don’t know, but it sounds like it’s the case if there was traces of Darkspawn down there. Have you ever seen one?” Simon asked, looking over at Darien. He only shook his head, looking paler by the second.

 

“I have, back at Lake Calenhad. We were attacked by a small raiding party of Darkspawn. I was attacked by a Shriek, you know what that is?” Simon asked and Darien nodded. “Well, it snuck up on me, but I managed to stab it with my dagger. We killed them all, Darien. They can be killed,” Simon said reassuringly. Darien still looked rather pale, but at least now, he had a smile on his face.

 

The following morning the two groups made the final preparations before heading down into the Deep Roads. Daniel got a little help from Simon to strap on his new heavy armor. It was a Grey Warden armor like the one Duncan and Saunders Ivo had, with plated steel and the Grey Warden emblem inscribed into the steel. Simon also had a new set of armor on. His armor was scaled steel with leather padding over it, making it flexible while also giving sufficient protection. The small group ventured into the large cave entrance. At first, it was like all caves Simon had ever been in. The walls rough and uneven, before they saw a light further ahead.

 

“Woah!” came the outburst of several of the recruits as they entered a huge hall splitting in two different directions, one to the left and one to the right. The long, straight hall was at least seven times as high as they were tall and twenty times as wide, held up by thick stone pillars. The light they had seen came from lava flowing down the walls and even lit torches further down the road.

 

“Welcome to the Deep Roads,” Sean said with a smile. “We will split into two groups from here. We don’t want to attract more attention than we need to. You, you and you come with me,” he said pointing at Simon, Aiden and Darien. “The rest of you go with Riordan. We will meet back here in two hours.” Simon gave Daniel a smile and they shook each other’s hands.

 

“You better not be hurt, you hear me?” Simon whispered and Daniel leaned in and gave him a quick hug, planting a kiss on his cheek.

 

“I promise to do my very best. You be careful as well, and good luck,” he whispered back, before spotting that both Aiden and Darien was staring at them, grinning from ear to ear. Daniel blushed a little, but gave them a smile. “You two as well. Be careful!”

 

“Thank you, and don’t worry about Simon. We have his back,” Aiden said, giving them a wink.

 

“Alright. Let’s go!” Sean waved for his group to follow him and Simon and Daniel gave each other one last smile before walking in different directions.

 

This entrance to the Deep Roads seemed to be mostly intact, but the side roads that they came across had all fallen apart. They walked along the wide hall for around an hour and Simon was starting to wonder if anything was ever going to happen, when they spotted movement ahead. Sean had also seen it, signaling them to draw their weapons.

 

Simon, Aiden and Darien all readied their weapons. Simon drew his dual blades, Aiden drew his bow, Darien drew his two-handed greatsword and Sean himself drew his longsword. Up ahead, a single Darkspawn came walking down, possibly scouting. Once it saw them, it screamed. The echo filled the entire hall, making it sound like it was ten of them, and not just the one. Aiden loosened a quick arrow at the monster, hitting it right in the chest. The scream faded as the Genlock fell to the ground.

 

As soon as the scream died down, many more took its place. Darkspawn came out from the shadows itself, it seemed. Simon quickly counted and estimated them to be fifteen Darkspawn ranging in size. Most were smaller ones, Genlocks if he remembered correctly, but a few were Hurlocks like the ones he had seen before at Lake Calehad. Without pause, the Darkspawn charged straight at them. Simon didn’t have time to think about his actions, he just lashed out at the monsters as they came. He almost cut the head of the first one clean off, but as soon as one was dead; another one took its place.

 

“Back to back!” Simon heard Sean shout, and Simon quickly located the other three. They formed a circle, making sure that they couldn’t be flanked from behind.

 

Simon stood in between Aiden and Darien. Aiden fired arrow after arrow at the Darkspawn, and even used his bow as a melee weapon at the ones that came too close, before shooting an arrow at them as well. Darien lashed out at the creatures with his greatsword, cutting some of them clean in two. Simon did what he could, dodging the attacks he could, and parried the ones he couldn’t. This was nothing like the training! Kahul had been right. The Darkspawn shows no mercy for anyone, and their sheer numbers made it difficult to take them all out.

 

Before long, the creatures were dead. Simon had taken out five, two with help from Darien and one with some assistance from Aiden. Sean had taken out eight, all on his own and the twins had taken out their fair share of Darkspawn as well. The bodies of the Darkspawn lay in piles around them, making for a gruesome scene.

 

“Take your vials, and get some blood from them,” Sean said, a little out of breath. “Are anyone of you hurt?” The three boys all shook their heads. They had all gotten a few scratches and bruises, but nothing major. The three recruits all got their vial from their belts and started the small task of collecting some Darkspawn blood. Simon filled his vial all the way up before sealing it up. He saw that both Aiden and Darien looked a little disgusted as they filled theirs.

 

“You all have it? Then let us head back. The others should be back in an hour or so. We will wait for them at the crossing. Let’s move!” Sean said, and didn’t even wait for the boys to seal their vials up before starting to move back the way they came. Simon placed his vial safely in a pouch on his belt, and ran after Sean.

*************************************************

Daniel didn’t like the feeling of this whatsoever! They had gone for almost an entire hour without seeing anything, other than the one Deep Stalker that ran across the road fifteen minutes ago. It seemed like the other recruits and even Riordan himself shared his concern. Riordan’s eyes scanned the walls as they went, and the longer they didn’t find anything, the more nervous he seemed. The multiple side tunnels didn’t help either. Even though they followed the main road, Daniel felt lost down here.

 

“I don’t understand… We should have seen something by now. We should turn back and see if the others have had any luck. Come on. If we turn around now, we’ll make it back before the others start looking for-“ but Riordan never finished the sentence. They just rounded a corner, only to stop dead in their tracks. A gigantic metal door, held in place by thick metal bars, blocked off the road ahead. Daniel had seen a door like it before, back at Orzammar.

 

“A Thaig door…” Riordan almost whispered as he continued to walk, transfixed by the huge doors.

 

“How do you know?” Karen, the only female recruit asked as they approached the door.

 

“I’ve seen more like this. They were made to keep out Darkspawn during the first Blight. Most of them proved inefficient, as Darkspawn destroyed most of the Thaig’s during the first Blight. I wonder where this door leads…” Riordan said as he put his hand on the cold, steel door.

 

“We should turn back. We don’t have much time left.” Riordan finally said, giving the huge door one last glance, “We need to let Orzammar know about this. Maybe the Memories can tell us which Thaig this is. Come on.”

 

Daniel had to agree with Riordan’s decision. If they didn’t make it back to the crossing before their time ran out, they would worry the others, and the others couldn’t know where they were down here. The others could get lost trying to find them.

 

“Why haven’t we seen anything? The Wardens on the surface said that they had seen signs of Darkspawn, but we haven’t seen anything, not even a dead one,” Daniel asked Riordan as they turned around, walking back the same stretch as they came.

 

“I don’t know. I don’t like the feeling of this. The Deep Roads should be packed with Darkspawn. There hasn’t been a Blight for over 200 years, and they reproduce quickly. Something isn’t right. Even if this door held back the Darkspawn, we have seen several other tunnels on the way here, so there has to be something down here. I suppose the Darkspawn could be at the Deep Roads surrounding Orzammar, trying to brea-“ Riordan stopped mid-sentence and looked back. “Oh no…” Riordan said and Daniel noticed that his face got paler by the second.

 

Daniel followed his gaze, and felt his heart racing from what he saw. Behind them, stood around thirty Darkspawn. They filled the entire length of the road, and just stood there looking straight at them. In the front of the group, stood one taller than the rest. Unlike most Darkspawn, this one had full plated armor and a helmet with huge horns sticking out from the top. In addition to this, it had a deadly looking axe strapped onto its back.

 

“That’s an Alpha... By Andraste, that’s an Alpha,” Riordan almost whispered as he slowly drew his blades. “Run!” this time he shouted it. It took a moment for the other recruits to understand what was going on, as none of them had seen the small horde of Darkspawn behind them, but once they saw, they ran without hesitation. Daniel ran as fast as he could away from the Darkspawn, but he could feel the ground tremble underneath him as he did. They came after them. Daniel could hear the terrifying screams from the monsters behind them, but he didn’t look back. He couldn’t afford to look back now. If he did, he would slow down and he would get himself killed!

 

Up ahead, Daniel heard a thundering crash, as if the mountain itself fell apart, but the closer they came to the source of the sound, it dawned on him that this wasn’t the case. Up ahead, stood another group of Darkspawn. They weren’t as many as the ones behind them, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in size! A gigantic monster loomed over the others, at least twice as tall as any man. The monster didn’t wear much armor, other than around its waist and shoulders, but Daniel guessed that it didn’t need much armor. A monster of that size would have thick and tough skin, eliminating any need for armored plating. And as if this wasn’t enough, its gigantic horns was dressed with what looked like several skulls at its tips! It looked like some wild animal, just a gigantic one! Daniel spotted the giant boulder that filled their escape route, blocking them off. They were trapped! It seemed like Riordan realized the same thing.

 

“Back to back!” Riordan shouted and they formed a circle. “In war, victory.” he shouted as they all drew their weapons. Daniel drew his dwarven longsword, the very same that Simon had bought for him in Orzammar.

 

“In peace, vigilance!” Karen said, nocking an arrow on her elven bow.

 

“In death, sacrifice.” Daniel said, his voice shaking a little as he said it, giving the blade a kiss. This was going to be his hardest fight yet, and quite possibly, his very last.

 

The Darkspawn behind them finally caught up with them and the group ahead roared at the sight of their leader, the Alpha. The Alpha ordered his small horde to stop with a loud roar. Daniel could see its eyes through the slots in its horned helmet, staring straight at him. A shiver went down Daniel’s spine as he looked into those cold eyes. Murderous eyes.

 

The Alpha grabbed the axe on its back, holding it with both hands, before letting out another loud roar. The Darkspawn from both sides started walking towards them, surrounding them completely.

 

Without warning, the Darkspawn charged from all sides. Each recruit suddenly got five or more Darkspawn to handle at once. The air was filled with screams from the Darkspawn and the unmistakable sound of metal against metal.

 

Daniel felt the blows from the Darkspawn hit him all over his body, but thanks to his plated armor, they didn’t get through. This didn’t mean that they didn’t hurt! His whole body felt beaten up from the many times a sword or a mace had gone through his defense.

 

Cutting down another Darkspawn, his third so far, Daniel had a chance to look around. Still back to back, the other recruits fought with all their might against the charging Darkspawn. Thankfully, none of them had fallen. Most did very well with their respective roles, killing Darkspawn left and right. Riordan stood a little away from the rest, doing what could have been a dance, running in between Darkspawn, cutting them down as he went. Daniel was amazed how light Riordan was on his feet. It was almost as if he was flying, not running through their ranks, changing direction without trouble. The others didn’t do as well as him however. Karen, the archer, didn’t have time to knock her arrows as the Darkspawn charged her, so she has thrown her bow on the ground and slashed the Darkspawn with her dagger instead.

 

A deep rumble caught Daniel’s attention and he looked around to find the source. The ogre had just ripped out a huge chunk of the wall next to it, holding it above its head. Daniel’s stomach felt as if it got filled with ice.

 

“Watch out! It’s throwing at us!” Daniel shouted as loud as he could. The other recruits looked up just in time to see the ogre throw the boulder right at them! Daniel didn’t think, he just ran straight forwards, holding his shield ahead of him to clear the way through the Darkspawn.

 

It was as if the ground itself was shattered right under him, and he was blown several feet away. He felt his young body crash into several other ones, Darkspawn presumably. Not wasting any time, he quickly got up and started to slash the creatures that were still down.

 

“Daniel, look out!” he heard someone shout behind him. He turned around just in time to see the ogre coming straight for him, tossing everyone in its way aside. Several Darkspawn, both living and dead, flew through the air and crashed into the walls. Daniel felt the panic build up inside of him. How was he going to take _that_ on?!

 

The ogre lifted its arms, thick as tree trunks, taking aim at Daniel. Daniel’s armor wouldn’t give him any protection from getting smashed by those gigantic hands! He looked up just in time to see the two giant hands pounce at him. By pure reflex, he managed to roll through the creature's large legs. He heard the recognizable sound of rock being shattered and soon felt the wave of dust and rubble hit him, as the creature’s large hands crushed the ground he had been standing on. Daniel now found himself on the Ogre's unarmored backside, and he realized that this was his chance. With the sword, that he somehow still held in his hand, he struck a deep laceration in the creature's back. The ogre screamed with pain and fell to his knees. For a second Daniel thought that the battle with the ogre was over and won and lowered his guard for a second. This would prove to be one second too much.

 

The ogre swiped backward with a powerful hand that blew Daniel several feet across the stone floor. As he crashed into a wall, he felt a sharp pain to his left shoulder. He was absolutely right. Armor did not help much against something as big as this ogre. Miraculously, he was still conscious and could see everything that was going on around the battlefield. Several of his fellow Wardens seemed to be doing well. Riordan swept in and out between the ranks of Darkspawn and they dropped like flies around him. The other recruits did well too, cutting down their fair share as well, but Daniel noticed that the Alpha still stood on the edge of the battle and watched the fight rather than participating in it. It had about ten more Darkspawn around it, all of them armed to the teeth.

 

Something in the corner of his eye caught Daniels attention. The ogre which had smashed Daniel into the wall, stood back on its feet. It looked around for a few seconds before it spotted Daniel lying beaten on the ground. Daniel felt panic begin to build up inside him, and he looked around for his sword and spotted it halfway between himself and ogre. Daniel tried in vain to get back on his feet. His shoulder felt like it was crushed to bits and he felt a stinging pain in his back as well. Daniel could only watch the ogre came closer and closer with death in its eyes.

 

An arrow came flying out of nowhere and hit the ogre in its shoulder. It wasn't a fatal shot, but annoyed it enough that it forgot Daniel few seconds, and instead turned to see who was challenging it. Daniel followed creature's gaze and his jaw dropped from what he saw. Over boulder that blocked their escape, came Simon, Sean, Darien and Aiden. Aiden stood at the top of the boulder with his bow drawn for another shot. Simon and Darien both ran towards Daniel, looking to take down the ogre. The ogre let out a terrifying roar when it spotted the three new challengers. Sean had ignored the ogre completely and went to help out the rest of the group.

 

"Simon, see if you can flank while I get its attention, " Darien said while they ran. "HEY YOU!" He shouted, this time directed at the ogre. With another roar, the ogre ran straight for Darien who managed to roll away from its powerful swipes. Meanwhile, Simon circled the ogre and finally stood at its backside. As Daniel had done before him, he put some well-placed stabs in the ogre's back. It roared once again, and swept back toward Simon, but Simon was quick enough on his feet to jump back when the giant hand swept behind to its back. While the ogre was busy with Simon behind it and Darien in front, Aiden loosened several arrows, this time aimed directly at the ogre’s neck. These arrows sank deep into the flesh and dark blood oozed out of the wounds. The pain from this new wound, made the ogre lose all sense and thrashed around, blind from the pain in its back and neck.

 

Darien used the ogre's lapse in awareness to gather his strength and deliver a mighty blow with his greatsword to the creature’s head. The sword sank deep into the creature’s thick skull, almost cleaving it in two. With a deep rumble that made the ground shake, the ogre fell to the ground dead. Daniel could not believe his eyes when a flood of dark blood filling the stone floor around them. They had actually managed to kill the monster!

 

Simon had spotted Daniel and quickly ran over to him.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Simon Asked as he crouched down to get a better look at him.

 

"I'm fine. You go help the others. I'll be fine. "Daniel said, noticing how hoarse his voice was. He felt the taste of blood in his mouth, but decided to ignore it.

 

"OK. Can you stand?" Simon Asked and Daniel shook his head. "Damn ... Hey Aiden!" He shouted over that Aiden, Who was still standing at the top of the boulder, loosening arrow after arrow at the fighting Darkspawn.

 

"What?!" Aiden shouted back.

 

"Come down and help me get Daniel to safety!" Simon shouted back as he helped Daniel stand up. With the combined effort of both Simon and Aiden helping him, they managed to get Daniel over to the huge bolder that was blocking the path.

 

"Help me get him over this and out of here." Said Simon, but Daniel cut him off.

 

“No. I have to help!”

 

“You’re just going to get yourself killed in this condition! Leave the rest to us, OK?” Simon gave Daniel a confident smile. “Keep him safe, will you?” Simon said, this time to Aiden who gave him a quick nod, before loosening an arrow at a Darkspawn that came running towards them. With one last look at Daniel, Simon ran back to the battlefield.

  
Daniel cursed for himself. Getting hurt like this, while his friends were fighting for their lives was almost as torture for him, especially now that Simon was in danger as well. All he could do was to watch with Aiden standing guard, firing arrows left and right.  


Something caught Daniel’s eye though. The Darkspawn Alpha reached over its shoulder and lifted the huge greataxe off its back. With one hand, he lifted the axe, as if it was pointing, and roared. Its minions screamed with blood thirst and joined the fight. However, Daniel noticed something else with the Darkspawn Alpha. Unlike its minions, who ran into battle, the Alpha walked calmly into the battlefield, finding its first opponent shortly thereafter.

 

Karen still used her daggers, slashing away in a ring of them. She didn’t see the Alpha slowly approaching, but the Darkspawn around her did. They took a step back, letting the Alpha through. Daniel shouted all he could for Karen, but his shouts drowned in the sound of metal and screams. Karen looked confused as the Darkspawn stopped attacking her. She turned around to see what was going on, and saw the Alpha heading straight for her. Daniel could see Karen’s face go pale from the sight. Before she could even lift her daggers to defend herself, the Alpha had lifted the axe with both hands and cleaved straight down. The axe landed straight in her chest, the blade sinking deep into her flesh. She managed to remain standing for a second, perhaps out of shock, before her legs gave out, forcing her to her knees. The Alpha put one of its legs on the side of the axe, and pulled the axe out, kicking Karen to the ground. The Alpha didn’t even give her another look before looking for another target. It looked around for a few seconds, sizing the other Wardens up.

 

Both Daniel and Aiden had seen the scene unfold from the other side of the battlefield, and stood there speechless. One of the recruits that they has spent the last six months with was dead!

 

The Alpha started walking again. It took a second for Daniel’s brain to understand what that meant. It had found a new Warden to kill! Daniel a vague sense of panic start to build up inside him, but he unsure what it meant. It took him another two seconds to realize what it was.

 

“Aiden…” Daniel said, his voice shaking. “It is coming this way.”

 

“I know,” Aiden said, nocking an arrow on his longbow. Aiden closed one of his eyes, taking careful aim at the huge Darkspawn heading their way. It was carrying its bloody axe over its shoulder, as it walked calmly straight for the two of them. Aiden loosened the arrow, which flew straight for the Alpha. Quicker than Daniel would think a creature of its size was capable of, the Alpha lifted the axe from its shoulders and blocked the arrow with the flat side of the blade, before casually lifting it up on its shoulder again, not slowing down.

 

“What the…” Aiden mumbled, before nocking another arrow. This time, he didn’t take as much time to aim, and loosened arrow after arrow. Again, with speed that Daniel had never seen before, it dodged and blocked every single arrow that Aiden shot at it.

 

“Daniel,” Aiden said as he nocked another arrow on his longbow, “Get up, and climb to the top of the boulder and run. Now.”

  
Daniel didn’t get time to protest, as the Alpha closed in on them. It was close enough for Daniel to see the foul mist of its breath come out from under the horned helm. With some pain, Daniel managed to get up on his feet and start to climb the boulder. A loud ‘thug’ from behind caught Daniel’s attention, and he looked back.

 

Aiden had dropped his bow, which lay broken in two. It seemed like Aiden had tried to get in one last shot at the Alpha, but that his bow was cut clean in two by the greataxe. Now Aiden stood face to face with the Alpha, armed only with two daggers. The Alpha swung the greataxe through the air, but thankfully none if the hits connected. Aiden managed to dodge them, one after the other. Daniel could sense the Alpha’s annoyance with Aiden.

 

Daniel started to notice change in the Alpha. It was as if the air around it started to blur, like from heat. Daniel, who had stopped climbing to watch, felt his body go limp. What was happening? It seemed like Aiden went through the same thing, but even worse. Aiden dropped his two daggers to the ground, and held his hands over his ears.

  
“No… NO! Stop it!” Aiden screamed at the Alpha as he fell to his knees. There was no doubt about it, Daniel thought. This was magic of some kind! Daniel watched in horror as the Alpha simply walked over to Aiden, who was still covering his ears while screaming, and lifted its axe.

 

One second later, the Alpha lay on the ground, snarling at the newcomer. Out of nowhere, Darien had tackled the Alpha, knocking it to the ground, making it drop its axe. Simon came running towards them as well, giving Aiden a hasty look.

 

“See if he is OK. I’ll hold it off,” Simon said and ran towards the downed Alpha. Darien kneeled down to check his brother.

 

“Aiden? Aiden! Snap out of it!” he shouted at Aiden. Aiden finally looked up, his eyes filled with tears.

  
“Darien? Is that you?”

 

“Yes it is.” Darien smiled at his brother, before grabbing his greatsword again. The Alpha was still alive and angrier than ever, but it was unarmed, so Darien and Simon had an advantage, for now.

“You stay here. We will finish this.” He said, giving his twin brother one last smile before he looked over at the Alpha. The Alpha had gotten to its feet now, busy with Simon who was trying his best to cut the creature down.

 

Darien didn’t waste any time, and swung his greatsword in a wide arch. The Alpha simply took a few steps back and dodged the sword. It seemed like it knew exactly what Darien was thinking, as it dodged attack after attack, seemingly with ease, even with Simon trying to hit it as well. Darien lifted the sword over his head and swung it down at the Alpha. Again the Alpha dodged it, but it also did something more. As soon as Darien’s sword hit the ground, it stepped on the blade. This new weight on the blade, forced Darien’s hands to lower as more and more weight was put on the sword, forcing him to drop it to not get his fingers crushed. Then the Alpha took two quick steps forward, and elbowed Darien in the face, knocking him to the ground

 

“Darien!” Simon shouted when he saw his friend go down. It didn’t look like Darien was hurt bad, just a broken nose by the looks of it. Simon tried to get in a quick stab from behind, but again it seemed like the Alpha knew what he was going to do, even before he did it. It spun around and grabbed both of Simon’s wrists with its strong hands. This caught Simon so much by surprise that his jaw dropped open.

 

“What the-“ was all he managed to say, before an armored knee hit him right in the stomach, knocking the air right out of him, forcing him to his knees. The last thing Simon saw, was an armored fist heading straight for his face.

 

Darien’s nose was broken and he was more or less blinded by pain and blood. By the time he managed to see anything again, the first thing he saw was the Alpha standing over him, holding his own sword in its hands.

 

“No… No!” Darien said terrified and tried to crawl away, but a powerful foot was planted on his back and he was forced down on the ground again. From the top of the boulder, Daniel had seen everything happen, and the turn of events gave him chills down his spine. The Alpha turned the sword up-side-down, aiming the sharp tip for Darien’s back. It looked over at Aiden, and stared him in the eyes as it pushed the blade down so hard, that Daniel could hear the stone break underneath Darien’s body, even with the sound from the battle around.

 

Aiden’s heartbreaking scream filled the air as he saw the blade pierce his brothers back. The Alpha simply walked over Darien and grabbed its axe a few feet away, and walked over towards Aiden again. It didn’t even seem like Aiden took notice of the Alpha approaching, as he was staring at Darien’s blood filling the stone floor as he mumbled for himself.

 

“Aiden!” Daniel shouted, but it was of no use. Aiden didn’t move. He just sat there, tears running down his cheeks as he saw his twin brother bleed out before his eyes.

 

Daniel couldn’t watch another of his friends get cut down. He had to do something! In a split-second decision, he ran down the boulder as fast as he could. He grabbed a sword from a fallen Darkspawn while he ran. In the meantime, the Alpha had caught up with Aiden, standing right in front of him. As it lifted its axe, Daniel shouted out to the Alpha.

 

“Hey you filthy beast! Try fighting someone who can still stand!” Daniel shouted as high as his lungs let him. The Alpha slowly turned its head and saw Daniel standing fifteen feet away, clutching the crude Darkspawn sword. It was as if the Alpha chuckled as it lowered its axe and faced Daniel instead. It could always come back to the traumatized kid when he finished this one.

 

Daniel held the blade ready with his right hand. He wished he had a shield though. Not that it would help, with his left arm hanging loose down his side. He gritted his teeth from the pain and quickly lashed out at the Alpha. With little effort, it blocked the blade with the hilt of its sword and pushed the blade back so hard, that Daniel stumbled a couple of steps back. The Alpha swung the axe around in shoulder height for Daniel, forcing him to roll under the blade. Seeing an opening, he slashed the blade to the Alpha’s side as he stood up again.

 

The Alpha looked down on its thigh, where dark blood ran down its shiny armor. Not giving Daniel another chance to attack again, the Alpha struck his axe after Daniel, who had to block and dodge for dear life! Feeling his exhaustion, Daniel wasn’t sure how much longer he could last against the superior Alpha. With a final swing, the Alpha knocked Daniel’s blade right out of his hands, sending it flying through the air and before he knew it, the Alpha knocked the hilt of its axe right in Daniel’s face. This sent Daniel falling to the ground, and to make matters worse, he landed on his already wounded shoulder. Trying his very best not to scream, he could only close his eyes and breathe. He heard the heavy steps from the Alpha step right in front of his face. All Daniel could do now, was to wait for the Alpha to end his life.

 

The sound of metal piercing metal, made Daniel open his eyes again. When he looked up at the Alpha, it had a long blade sticking out from its chest! It still held the axe, having raised it above its head to strike Daniel down, but now it dropped it with a clang as it hit the ground. It grabbed the blade with both its hands, as if it couldn’t quite figure out what it was, before falling to its knees and slowly falling over to the side. Behind where it had once stood, was Aiden. His eyes was red and puffed as tears still flowed free.

 

“Aiden…” Daniel said in a mild shock. Aiden simply stepped over the Alpha, and helped Daniel back on his feet.

 

“Thank you, Aiden.” Daniel said, his legs shaking a bit as he stood back up.

 

“I didn’t do that for you. It was for Darien,” Aiden said, not even looking at Daniel. As soon as Daniel was on his feet, Aiden walked over to his brothers corpse, pulled out the blade from his back and tossed it aside, kneeling as he continued to silently cry for his brother.

 

Then Daniel remembered that Simon had fallen as well, and ran over to where Simon lay on the ground, unmoving.

  
“Simon! Simon wake up!” Daniel said in panic, shaking Simon in the shoulder. After a lot of shaking, Simon slowly opened his eyes.

 

“Daniel… it’s you,” Simon said, giving Daniel a faint smile.

 

“Yes, it’s me,” Daniel said, feeling a tear flowing down his cheek.

 

“What’s wrong? I’m alive, Daniel.” Simon asked as he got up on his elbows.

 

“Darien…” Daniel couldn’t make himself say anything more. A lump in the throat made it impossible to speak, so all Daniel could do was to point to the spot where Aiden was kneeling. It took Simon a second to realize what he was seeing.

 

“What- No… No that can’t be!”

 

Daniel didn’t even try to stop him as Simon stumbled himself to his feet and ran over to his fallen friend. He couldn’t move from the spot. Like Darien’s twin brother, Daniel was silently crying for his fallen friend.

 

Steps from behind made Daniel turn around. Riordan and Sean had caught up with them, their armors filled with cuts and blood, but they looked alright. Daniel couldn’t see any of the two other recruits with them.

 

“Did we… win?” Daniel pushed himself to ask.

 

“If you mean, survive, then yes. I would not call this a victory.” Riordan said and pointed to a spot 50 feet away.

 

Like Aiden, Harol, the Dwarf recruit, kneeled beside a corpse of a human; Karen. Daniel knew that the two of them had been romantically involved.

 

“What of Omar?” Daniel asked Riordan, who just shook his head.

  
“Three recruits dead…” Sean said and looked over the battlefield.

“Can you stand?” Sean asked, extending his hand to Daniel, who grabbed it with his good arm, and pulled himself up, before joining Simon and Aiden.

*************************************************

Two hours later, the group reached the surface again. They had carried the bodies of their dead up to the surface. As soon as they had all exited the cave, they sealed it with the help of the mage and three dwarf wardens. Riordan said that even with a Thaig down there, it wasn’t worth having an entrance to the Deep Roads so close to the Imperial Highway.

 

During the next couple of hours, the Wardens prepared a great pyre for the fallen recruits; Darien Omar and Karen. Their bodies were placed on improvised tables as the living said their last goodbyes.

 

Daniel held around Simon with his healthy arm, watching as Aiden placed his brother’s sword on his chest, folding Darien’s hands around the hilt. Aiden placed his hand on his twin’s cheek one last time, before stepping down from the pyre and grabbed a torch. Daniel, Simon and Harol all grabbed one as well, and stood in a circle around the pyre. Without a word, they all tossed the torches on the dry wood, setting it on fire.

  
As they watched the fire consume the three bodies, Daniel hugged harder around Simon. Aiden stood by himself, stone faces, the flames flickering in his blue eyes. Not a single tear could be seen though, but maybe his sorrow was too great for tears.

 

They watched for a good two hours, watching the bodies turn to ash, and the wood into embers. Two hours with nothing but the sound of the flames. Footsteps behind them made Daniel turn around. Sean and Riordan had stepped up to the crumbling pyre.

 

“It is time.” Sean said and waved for the four remaining recruits come over to him. As Daniel walked towards the two Wardens, he noticed the chalice in Riordan’s hands.

 

“It is time for the four of you to join our ranks, as Grey Wardens. The Wardens were created during the first Blight, when humanity stood at the brink of annihilation. It was with the help of a ritual, involving the drinking of Darkspawn blood, that we mastered their taint, forever connecting us to them. Like the first Wardens, like all of the Grey Wardens before you, this is the source of our power, and how we will win against the Blight.”

 

“Drinking from this chalice, will give you immunity from the taint that the Darkspawn and the Blight brings. It connects us to the Blight, like the Darkspawn, letting us sense them. We use this to know when there is an Archdemon leading a Blight and where to find it. It is only by slaying the Archdemon that we can end a Blight.”

 

None of the four recruits said a word while Sean talked, all knowing the seriousness of this moment. They had all come here to join the Grey Wardens, to help them stop the Blight. All had seen the horror that the Darkspawn could bring with their own eyes. If they had any doubts about the cause now, they would never understand it either.

 

“We speak only a few words before the ritual,” Sean continued and looked at each of the recruits in turn, before giving Riordan a nod. Riordan stepped forward and said,

 

“Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you.”

 

“Aiden, step forward.” Sean said.

 

Aiden took the few steps up to Riordan and took the chalice that was handed to him. He looked at the contents of the chalice for a second before taking a big sip. Riordan took the chalice back again, and just in time as well. As soon as the last gulp went down his throat, Aiden’s body started to shake and he grabbed his head, screaming. Daniel watched in horror as Aiden’s eyes rolled backwards, until only the white remained. As quick as it had begun, it ended as Aiden fell to his knees, unconscious. Sean stepped forward to check him.

 

“Alive. Good. Now, Harol.”

 

Harol stepped forward and grabbed the chalice, taking a large sip of it as well. Like Aiden, Harol’s body started shaking, but something seemed different. Like he was suffocating, Harol took hold around his throat gasping for air. A moment later, he fell to the ground, seemingly dead. Sean sighed and shook his head.

 

“I am sorry Harol.”

 

“What- what happened to him?” Daniel asked in shock.

 

“Taking in the taint is deadly. If you survive the ritual, it will eventually kill you. Once the taint is in you, you have around thirty years until it will claim you. Now… Step forward,” Sean said firmly, but before Daniel could do just that, Simon stepped forward instead, taking the chalice that was handed to him. Simon looked at Daniel and gave him a smile.

  
“I will see you on the other side, Daniel.” And then he took a large sip from the silver chalice. Daniel felt his body go cold as Simon’s scream filled the air and his body fell to the ground.

 

“He made it.” Sean said, smiling faintly. “Lastly, you Daniel.” Sean said as Daniel stepped forward to grab the silver chalice. He looked at the dark red liquid for a second, wondering if this was what he truly wanted.

 

“There is no turning back.” Riordan said calmly. Daniel looked at Riordan, who in return gave him a nod. Taking a deep breath, Daniel swallowed three sips of the liquid.

 

As soon as the first sip of blood went down his throat, Daniel felt a chill go through his body. His head started to spin, before an agenizing pain filled his entire body. Darkness crept up on his vision, finally going all black.

 

Daniel could see a light ahead… A glowing purple light. It seemed like it was pulsating, like breathing. He moved closer as a white eye, as big as his own head, opened in front of him, staring straight at him. A gigantic roar filled his ears, even shaking the ground underneath him! The shaking continued as he felt himself falling…

 

“Daniel!”

 

Daniel opened his eyes. In front of him, Simon sat crouched giving him one of his glimmering smiles. Behind him stood Sean, who also smiled at him. Sean and Simon helped Daniel up on his feet, as he was laying on the ground. Sean put a strong hand on Daniel’s shoulder and squeezed firmly.

 

“Welcome to the Grey Wardens, Daniel.”


	8. Return to Orzammar

**Part VIII**

Simon was walking in pitch-black darkness. He wasn’t sure what he was doing there, but he knew he had to be here. Wanted to be here. He needed to find something.

 

There were no other sounds other than his own footsteps and… something else… far away. A humming. Deep and continuous, but not around him, inside him. The hum was inside his head. He heard it echoing in his head! It was driving him crazy! How could he stop the humming?! The humming got louder and louder as he continued to walk. Was this why he was here? The humming? A light ahead caught his attention. A gush of purple light, like flames. Simon started to run towards the light. If he found the source, the humming would stop, he was sure of it! He could see the flames now. He was close. Just a little further now…

 

“Simon!”

 

Simon opened his eyes. The bright light caused him to close them just as quick.

 

“Simon, are you alright?”

 

He opened his eyes again, slower this time. The first thing that hit him, other than the bright light, was green. Lots of green! Then he realized that he was outside. The green was trees and grass. His eyes finally adjusted to the light and colors around him and spotted Daniel standing above him with concern in his eyes.

 

“I-I’m fine. Just a dream or a nightmare, not sure…”

 

“You thrashed around like you had a nightmare at least.” Daniel said and walked over to the embers that had been their campfire. Simon remembered now. They were on their way back to Ferelden.

 

They had passed Halamshiral two days prior and were closing in on the Frostback Mountains now. It was just Daniel and him, as Aiden had stayed behind in Montsimmard with the other Orlesian wardens.

 

Just as well, Simon thought. Aiden had changed after his joining. They had all changed from their trip down into the Deep Roads, but none more than Aiden. He had become cold and distant, the opposite from before when he was the brightest and warmest of them all. Simon couldn’t blame him though. Seeing your twin brother murdered before your eyes leaves a scar in you.

 

“We should probably get moving soon. We don’t want to waste the daylight.” Daniel said as he started to pack his own bedroll. Simon sat up in his own bedroll and yawned.

 

“You’re right… I can’t wait to get to back home. I miss the smell!”

 

“Of wet dog?” Daniel laughed. Simon glared at him. Most Orlesians said that Ferelden smelled like wet dog and mud. Simon didn’t agree. Ferelden smelled like… nature. Orlais was full of buildings of marble and gold, while Ferelden was built with wood and stone. Simon preferred wood and stone! So instead of replying to Daniel’s question, he asked one of his own.

  
“How much longer do we have to get to Orzammar, you think?”

 

“The mountains are going to slow us down, but we should make it within three or four days I reckon.”

 

Daniel stole a glance over at Simon as he neatly folded his bedroll. Their eyes met and Daniel blushed and looked away. Simon felt himself blush as well. They hadn’t talked about their intimate experience in the Montsimmard kitchens yet and the tension was starting again. Stolen looks and longing. Simon wasn’t sure why it was so hard to bring it up again. That experience had been the best in his life, as if something had fallen into place—and now it was as if it never happened, like how they were before. Then the conversation after their joining had happened. Once the group had settled down after the joining, Sean had gathered them all for a talk. This would prove to be the most important conversation they’d ever had.

*******

“Are you joking?” Simon had asked Sean.

 

“No, I am not joking. That is why the Joining ritual is crucial. By taking in their blood, we are forever connected to the hive-mind of the Darkspawn. We feel their presence and it gives us immunity to the taint. However, by tainting our blood, we don’t stand out for the Archdemon soul.”

 

“But that doesn’t really say anything!” Simon continued angrily. Why hadn’t they been told this before?

 

“During the very first Blight, we learned that an Archdemon can survive wounds that seem mortal. It was slain two times during the first Blight. The first time, it returned soon after being slain by some Ander soldiers. We have since then learned that the Archdemon’s soul simply went into a nearby Darkspawn.”

 

“But… won’t it just do that to us then? Since we have the taint? Why do we make a difference at all?” Simon asked as he flailed his arms around. This whole conversation seemed so silly!

 

“The Darkspawn are empty vessels. They don’t have a soul like we do. The Archdemons use this to their advantage, making them immortal as long as it has Darkspawn. This is why Grey Wardens are important. As long as a Grey Warden deals the killing blow, the Archdemon’s soul will try to enter us, seeing us as vessels because of the taint. But since we already have a soul, the Archdemon’s soul is destroyed in the process. Sadly, this process is fatal for us. The Grey Warden who deals the killing blow on an Archdemon…will die.” Sean finished to his sparse audience. Simon, Daniel and Aiden all sat with open mouths for a full five seconds; as if it took a few extra seconds for the last part to fully sink in.

 

“So… not only is becoming a Grey Warden a possible death sentence because of the joining, or just an early death because of eventually being consumed by theo taint, but even if we deal the killing blow on an Archdemon, we’ll be killed by its soul rushing into our bodies?” Daniel asked slowly.

 

“That is correct. You were all told when you joined us as recruits. Becoming a Grey Warden is by no way a salvation. We go to the darkest places, where no one else dare to go. We do this to protect the people of Thedas, knowing they will not thank us for it. They will hate us and push us away, but this is necessary. We need to be different from them, more than them. That is the only way that we can make the hard decisions necessary to save Thedas from the Blight.”

 

“I have to go back…” Daniel suddenly said, and the others gave him a questioning look.

 

“Back? We can’t go back. We sealed th-“ Simon started, but was cut off by Daniel.

 

“Back to Ferelden. I want to go back to Ferelden again.”

 

Sean studied Daniel’s face for another ten seconds, before saying anything more. “I understand, Daniel. What about you?” Sean said, this time to Simon, “Do you want to go back to Ferelden as well? Now that you two are Grey Wardens, you can help rebuild the order in Ferelden.”

 

Simon looked over at Daniel. If Daniel was going back, shouldn’t he do it as well? He couldn’t leave him… not after all they’ve been through.

 

“Yes,” Simon finally said, “I want to go back to Ferelden as well.”

***

Once back at Montsimmard, it would take another week before they were ready to leave for Ferelden. They were held up for a couple of days because of the Orlesian Commander, as she had a special mission for them. Ever since they had returned from the Gamordan Peaks, Montsimmard had talked about the new Thaig. Aiden wanted to bring a larger number of Wardens down there to explore the Thaig properly. This was out of the question for the Commander. The only thing she was willing to do, was to inform Orzammar of the Thaig’s location, nothing more. This was Simon and Daniel’s mission as they traveled back to Ferelden.

Their trip through Orlais went smoothly, only stopping to rest the horses. They only had one hiccup, outside of Halamshiral. A small group of bandits had chopped down a tree, blocking the path. They didn’t know what they had stepped into. Raising simple daggers, they tried to force Simon and Daniel to give up their belongings. Poor sods hadn’t seen the armor under Simon and Daniel’s travel coats. The battle was over in minutes and they continued on, leaving seven corpses by the lonesome road.

 

After two weeks, they reached mighty gates or Orzammar. Simon felt a chill go down his spine, as he held his dwarven longsword tight.

 

“Let’s go Simon,” Daniel said as he handed the reins of his horse to a dwarf, who gave Daniel a deep bow. Simon jumped down from his own horse and handed the rains to another dwarf, who also bowed. Simon felt himself blush a little. The last time he had been here, he hadn’t been anything other than a simple thief. Now, he was a Grey Warden, one of the most respected factions of Thedas. He caught up to Daniel, who was waiting for him in front of the gates.

 

“What’s your business in Orzammar, stranger?” The guard at the gate asked in a husky voice as they approached, looking them over from their armor to the weapons on their backs. Daniel didn’t reply, but showed the guard the rolled up scroll in his hand. It had a blue wax seal, with the Grey Warden Griffin pressed into it. The Dwarf cast one look at the seal, and nodded to the other guards, who opened the heavy doors for them. “Welcome to Orzammar, Grey Wardens.” The guard said and gave them both a quick bow. Daniel gave the dwarf a nod back, and Simon did the same. It would be very rude not to!

“Do you remember the last time we were here, Simon?” Daniel asked as they walked through the large gate. It was exactly as Simon remembered it. The stone statues of Paragons, the reddish glow of the flowing lava. Everything was the same…

“Of course I remember, Daniel,” Simon said, smiling for the first time in days. The memory of Daniel hugging him in this hall, thanking him for the gift… and the first time he’d felt the hardness in his trousers because of him.

Daniel smiled as well. The first time Simon had seen him smile since Montsimmard.

“Let’s go. Orzammar is waiting for us.” Daniel said, waving for Simon. They walked through the entrance hall and through the second gate, leading them straight into Orzammar. Once again, the size of the huge cavern caused Simon to blurt out a soft ‘ _wow’_ , just like last time they were here.

They had barely set a foot into the colossal room, when a group of soldiers came towards them. Simon felt his heart quicken for a second, but none of the soldiers had their weapons out. One of the dwarves, sturdier-looking than the rest, walked straight up to Simon and Daniel, and gave them a quick bow.

 

“Greetings, Grey Wardens. What can the city or Orzammar do for you?” The dwarf asked. Once again, Daniel didn’t reply, but showed the dwarf the sealed scroll. The dwarf looked at the sigil for a second. “Is it a Thaig?” the dwarf then said, with a hint of hope in his voice, Simon thought.

 

“We believe it is, yes.” Simon said. The dwarf gave him a quick look.

 

“Then we shall take you to the Shaperate. Follow us.” The dwarf said, before his whole troop started to walk in the direction that they came from. Simon and Daniel followed them, and once again, Simon had to smile from the memories that flashed before him. They had come to the merchant that had sold Simon the two swords, and he looked astonished as Simon and Daniel passed him. It must have been quite a sight, Simon thought. Simon gave the merchant a wink—the merchant looked like he had seen a ghost!

 

After a short walk, and through another set of gates, they reached the upper level of Orzammar, The Diamond Quarter. Simon knew that this was the place for the oldest and wealthiest families of Orzammar, from what he had read. They passed several houses, all built into the mountain itself. The Diamond Quarter was full of people—all of them Dwarfs, no shock there. As Simon and Daniel walked with their guards, Simon noticed the dwarves around them pointing and whispering as they passed. Simon guessed that Grey Wardens weren’t a common sight up here, as most went straight into the Deep Roads when coming to Orzammar.

 

Soon they reached the center of the Diamond Quarter. This is where the Assembly of Orzammar would gather. Simon knew that the Assembly had 80 members, all from families connected to the Paragons. This was to ensure that the Assembly had the favor of the Paragons.

 

“It’s down here,” The guard captain said and led them down a set of stairs and to another building much like the Assembly. “This is the Orzammar Shaperate. This is where all of Dwarven memory is recorded and stored.” The captain said as he opened the heavy stone door with ease. As Simon and Daniel stepped inside, Simon noted how large the building was inside. They entered a small entry hall that lead into a gigantic library that stretched far into the mountain. Rows upon rows of bookshelves, full of books and scrolls filled the room. The guard showed them in to the middle of the room, where an ancient looking dwarf stood studying a scroll.

 

“Lord Shaper? There are some Grey Wardens here to see you.” The guard said and bowed for the old man. The shaper took a few seconds to realize that someone had said anything to him, as if he was a little slow.

  
“Ohh that’s wonderful. Wonderful. Show them in.” he said without looking up from the scroll in front of him.

 

“They are standing right here, Lord Shaper.” The guard said a little lower, nudging the shaper a little.

  
“What? Ohh! Hello!” The old man finally looked up from his scroll and saw Daniel and Simon. “We always welcome Grey Wardens here. What can I do for you?”

Daniel handed the shaper the sealed scroll, who looked sternly upon the wax seal.

“We believe we’ve located a Thaig, Lord Shaper.” Daniel said as the man still studied the scroll. The shaper looked surprised for a moment, then he smiled.

 

“Wonderful. Did you venture inside or did you just locate the gate?”

 

“We found the Thaig gate, still sealed.” Daniel said as the Shaper finally opened the seal and read it.

 

“In the Gamordan Peaks? Well this is very interesting indeed!” The shaper lighted up as he continued to read. “And if the gate is still sealed, there might even be a chance of—oh well.” He rolled the scroll up again and handed it to another dwarf, possibly another shaper. “Put it in my office, I want to study it with our maps.” He said and the dwarf bowed and walked away with the scroll. “Are you two leaving for Orlais again or will you stay? We’ll be happy to host you here in the Diamond Quarters for as long as you need to before traveling again.”

 

Simon liked the sound of this. His back was still hurting from the horseback riding and to have a real bed to sleep in would be great!

 

“Yes, I think we will take you up on that offer.” Simon said and looked over at Daniel, who also looked relieved to have an actual bed for a night.

 

Simon and Daniel were escorted to a house not far from the Shaperate. It was large enough and probably functioned as a guest house for travelers to the Diamond Quarter. It had several bedrooms and several servants that cleaned and made the place inhabitable for guests.

 

“Ahh, you’re here.” one of the servants said as Simon and Daniel entered. “Shall I show you to your rooms?” Without waiting for a reply, he started to walk towards one of the many doors in the hall. Simon and Daniel both got their own room with a bed, cleaning area and rest area.

 

“This looks great!” Simon said to himself as he laid down on the bed. It looked a lot harder than it was. The bed was made from some sort of rock, but it was soft, like it was closer to liquid than actual rock.

 

“I’ll let you rest.” The dwarf said and as he closed the door, someone else came in. Daniel had apparently already seen his own room and came to check up on Simon.

 

“The dwarves spare no expense on their guests, huh?” he said and sat down in one of the chairs around the room. These too, were apparently made from the same rock as the bed, as Daniel sank a little into it. “I wonder what this is. I’ve never seen anything like it. It is rock, but still it’s not rock”

 

“Probably infused with lyrium or some other dwarf magic.” Simon said and got up from the bed and sat down next to Daniel. “I suppose we leave for Ferelden tomorrow. I bet Denerim is our best place to start. Duncan did say they would be there for a while, so maybe they’re still there.”

 

“I think so too. Denerim is out best bet.” Daniel said and got up from his chair and started to fiddle with his armor. “Can you help me take this off? I don’t think we’ll need armor here and I’m starting to get sore from the straps.”

 

Simon got up and walked behind Daniel to loosen the straps holding his armor in place. He removed the shoulder pads first, then he started on the chest piece. As soon as he saw the skin underneath the metal, Simon felt his heart starting to beat faster. As he lifted the armor off Daniel’s shoulders, he felt a shiver go through the boy in front of him. He wondered if Daniel felt it too. Now Daniel stood bare chested, loosening his arm guards.

 

“You want me to help you with your armor?” Daniel asked, his back still turned.

  
“Yeah, that would be… good, thanks.”

 

Simon turned his own back to Daniel and felt Daniel turn around to face him. Simon closed his eyes as Daniel started to loosen the straps around his body, letting the armor off his skin. Once his skin was out in the open air, Simon felt a touch on his back. Daniel’s hand, warm and soft, caressed his skin and Simon felt a shiver go through his body from the touch. Then Daniel wrapped his arms around Simon and hugged him tight, leaning his head onto Simon’s shoulder. Simon couldn’t help but to lean his own head against Daniel’s, several moments passing in the silence, feeling the heat from Daniel’s chest onto the bare skin of his back.

 

“I’ve missed this.” Daniel finally said and Simon turned around to look at him. He was surprised when he saw the sadness in Daniel’s face.

 

“Daniel? What’s wrong?”

 

Daniel smiled, but it seemed hollow. “Tanyl warned me about this.”

 

“Warned you about what?” Simon asked, more confused than ever.

 

“About getting attached. To you.” Daniel said and a tear rolled down his cheek. “Ever since Darien and Karen died, my heart’s been aching. I can’t lose you. If you died, I’d never recover from it, I’m sure of it.”

 

“You won’t lose me!” Simon said and held Daniel’s face in his hands so he could look him straight into those blue eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, Daniel. You won’t lose me.”

  
“I almost did.” Daniel said, his voice shaking slightly. “After our first real fight against those highway men. I was sure I’d lost you. Katarina could barely keep you alive as we traveled to Montsimmard. All that time, I kept thinking ‘what if he dies’, and that was even before I knew…”

 

“Knew what?” Simon asked, but he thought he already knew the answer.

 

“That I love you, Simon.” Daniel simply said, the smile returning to his lips. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Daniel.” Simon said, feeling a lump in his throat starting to grow, making it hard to speak.

 

“I wish I’d known that sooner.” Daniel said, leaning into Simon and closing his eyes. “I had my suspicion about you, but I couldn’t be sure.”

 

Simon kissed him. Daniel seemed surprised for half a second, but he quickly got into it, kissing him back. As they kissed, Simon felt the now very familiar sensation starting to build up in him, engulfing him in lust, but he wasn’t alone. He could feel Daniel’s hardness push against his own.

 

“Daniel…” That was all Simon could say, but that was all Daniel needed.

 

Daniel traced his soft, warm hand down Simon’s chest and down towards his waist. His hand quickly loosened the straps and strings holding Simon’s reinforced leather pants, dropping them to the floor. Simon felt a shiver go through his body as he stepped out of the pants, leaving him as naked as the day he’d been born. Daniel quickly loosened the strings and straps that held his own pants up, dropping them to the floor as well. Still kissing, the two boys made their way to the stone bed and laid down on top of it.

 

“Wow, this bed is really soft!” Daniel exclaimed before continuing to explore every inch of Simon’s body. Simon closed his eyes as Daniel’s skilled lips left his own to his neck and down his chest. Daniel lingered a second on his nipples, kissing them softly before continuing down. Simon could feel the excitement start to build in him, more than ever before. Finally, he could feel Daniel’s hot breath on his member, as hard as it had ever been.

“It’s so beautiful…” Daniel said softly, as Simon felt a finger glide across the skin of his hardness.

 

“Ohh Maker…” Simon breathed heavily as he felt Daniel’s fingers wrap around it and start to stroke him. Suddenly Simon gasped as he felt something wet on his member, and he opened his eyes to look down. He could hardly believe was he saw. Daniel was licking the tip, swirling his tongue at the mushroom head. This was a sensation that Simon had never felt before.. Simon moaned in disappointment when Daniel stopped licking, but moaned ever louder when he took it into his mouth.

 

“Daniel, what are you doing?” Simon had to ask, as this was nothing like he’d ever experienced, but he soon didn’t even care for an answer. The sensation of what Daniel was doing overwhelmed his senses, leaving him squirming in pleasure. He almost didn’t notice Daniel’s hand toying with his sack, massaging it as Daniel continued to pleasure him with his mouth.

Daniel started to move his lips up and down the shaft, using his tongue to play with the soft, sensitive underside of Simon’s member. The sensation was building up and up until Simon felt the coming of his impending climax.

“Daniel, I can’t last much longer. I’m going to—“ then Daniel stopped. Simon thrust his pelvis up, desperately wanting the pleasure to continue, but Daniel crawled up towards his face again and planted a kiss on his lips.

“Why did you stop? I was so close!”

  
“I don’t want you to finish yet. I want to finish together.” Daniel simply said, smiling wide. Simon looked confused for a second, unsure what he meant before he realized the meaning behind those words.

  
“You want me to do you now?”

“Only if you want to.” Daniel replied a little sheepishly, looking down towards his own hardened rod. Simon followed his gaze and locked his eyes onto Daniel’s now pulsating manhood. Even though the skin still covered the tip, Simon could see how red and hot it was, desperate for release.

Simon switched places with Daniel. Simon kissed him tenderly, before doing like Daniel had done and kissed every inch of his body as he went down. Soon, Simon was breathing in the aroma of Daniel’s boyhood. He wasn’t sure how to describe it. It smelled of… Daniel. Simon wrapped his shaking hand around the quivering flesh in front of him, and was rewarded with a sigh from Daniel.

Slowly, Simon leaned in closer until the tip of his nose was almost touching the skin of Daniel’s member. He let his tongue glide up and down the shaft, somewhat enjoying the taste. Finally, he took Daniel into his mouth and Daniel moaned loudly. Daniel grabbed Simon’s hair and gently guided him up and down the shaft. Simon was still very hard himself, and as his mouth glided up and down Daniel’s hard shaft, his own member started to tingle slightly from excitement. ‘This is incredible!” he thought for himself as Daniel’s manhood felt like it was swelling up in his mouth.

  
“Simon… I’m very close. Stop, please.” Daniel said with ragged breaths. Simon did as he was told and let Daniel’s member out of his mouth, glistening with his spit. Daniel sat up and kissed Simon deeply and tenderly for a precious few seconds, before letting go. Simon looked confused as Daniel started to twist around, moving to the other end of the bed. It wasn’t before he had Daniel’s shaft pointing at his face, and his own pointing at Daniel’s, that he realized that they were going to take each other in, at the same time!

 

“You ready? I’m so close to bursting, that it won’t take long for me.” Daniel said from the other end of the bed. Simon didn’t answer. He could hardly wait to feel Daniel’s hardness inside his mouth again, to taste it again. Simon simply took it into his mouth again and moaned around it as he felt Daniel do the same. The room was filled by the sound of muffled moans as they both approached their limit. Daniel was the first one to finish. Simon felt Daniel stop licking and sucking as he said through short and raspy breaths, “I’m about to come, Simon. I’m— Ahh!”

 

Simon felt the spurts of warm fluid almost hitting the back of his throat, but he didn’t gag or let anything out. Daniel’s seed filled his mouth with five shots, leaving Daniel moaning on the other end of the bed. Simon let Daniel’s member out of his mouth, and a small bit of the sweet nectar slipped out of his lips as he did so. It had a strange taste, he thought. Not bad, but strange. Unlike anything else he’d tasted in his young life. He swallowed it without any more thought.

Simon couldn’t help but moan as Daniel resumed wrapping his lips around his member again. He had been very close to coming himself, so it didn’t take long before he also said “I’m about to come, Daniel. I’m so close…” He bit his lower lip, feeling the sensation build up. It actually started at his toes, making them curl up as the feeling of pure pleasure shot through his body. A second before the end, it felt like his member caught on fire, and he let out a scream of pleasure. He shot six times, each spurt taking more out of him. His mind went blank after the sixth and he felt light-headed, as though he was flying lazily among the clouds.

 

“Simon? Simon, are you alright?” Daniel’s voice said from what felt like far away. Simon could only nod. He was too tired to do much else. Daniel’s face appeared in front of him, smiling wide. “You really shot a lot, Simon! That was fantastic!” before he leaned in and kissed him. Simon could taste his own seed in the kiss, but he didn’t mind. It didn’t taste half bad either.

 

Daniel wrapped his arms around him and snuggled in close. The two of them stayed like that for what felt like days, just letting their naked forms warm each other. Simon had never felt so safe in his life as he did in Daniel’s arms. He never wanted this to end. Never wanted to let go of the boy in his arms. Never. But they had to.

 

The next day the boys readied themselves to continue to Denerim and find the other Wardens. The dwarves had given them the supplies and fresh horses they needed to travel swiftly, and after a week’s worth of travel, they arrived at the capitol.

 

“I’d never thought I’d say this, but I’ve missed this.” Daniel said as they entered the city. Simon had to agree. It was nice to see the wood and stone around them again.

  
“I told you, it doesn’t smell of wet dog!” Simon chuckled as they rode on. “We should head to the market district and see if we can get word to Duncan somehow.” But they didn’t have to go far. They had just entered the Denerim Market, when a squeal caught their attention.

  
“Daniel! Simon!” Both boys grinned wide when they saw Katarina running towards them.

“We got the message you sent. It’s so good to see you both!” She beamed. “Duncan is waiting for you. We thought you’d arrive sooner so he’s been worried.”

 

“We didn’t want to push the horses more than we had to.” Daniel said with a sideways look at Simon, who felt himself blush a little. They hadn’t really tried their hardest to travel fast, as they had enjoyed several more nights like the one in Orzammar on their journey here.

 

“Glad to see that you’re both safe.” Katarina smiled and soon, the three of them headed through the Market District towards what looked like a run-down warehouse. Katarina showed them in and guided them through the rows of goods and crates, to a bookshelf. She pulled a lever and a doorway appeared. “After you.” She said and Simon and Daniel went in. It looked like a mix between an armory, library and bed chamber. In the middle of the room, around a table sat Tanyl, Saunders Ivo and Duncan. They all looked up when Simon and Daniel entered.

  
“You’re finally here!” Tanyl exclaimed and ran towards them and hugged them both. Saunders Ivo smiled wide as well. Then Duncan spoke as well.

  
“I’m glad you both made it through your Joining,” Duncan said approaching them. “We have a lot of work to do and precious little time to do so. We’ll need every single Grey Warden we can get.”

 

Simon and Daniel stared at Duncan as he said these words. They looked around on the other Wardens, whose faces had become serious.

  
“What do you mean?” Simon asked, looking around on the others for answers.

  
“A Blight.” Duncan said and the room fell silent.

 

Simon felt a shiver go down his spine from these words. He looked over at the boy beside him, Daniel looked like someone had stabbed him, his face getting paler by the second. A Blight was coming, to Ferelden.

With no words spoken between them, Daniel and Simon held each other’s hands. Blights were what the Wardens were made for, Thedas’ last, greatest champions in the face of utter destruction. Both boys gave each other a determined look. For a Warden, both victory and defeat meant certain death. But they were not afraid anymore. As they held hands that day a promise was made. A promise that together, they would clash with the faceless hordes of darkspawn, that together they will emerge victorious.

 

In War, Victory

In Peace, Vigilance,

In Death, Sacrifice


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been years since Simon and Daniel came back to Ferelden as Grey Wardens. Now they have gathered together with the other Ferelden Wardens to face the Blight at the outskirts of the Kocari Wilds. Now they'll have one last adventure together, in the calm before the storm.

Daniel was tired. He’d been tired for weeks now, ever since they came to this abandoned place! All this talk was taking a toll on him as well. Rumors of Darkspawn. A horde of them out there in the Korcari Wilds. Scouts had gone missing, but that could be due to any number of things. The wilds had been unsafe for as long as anyone could remember. It was all of this that made Daniel so tired. That, and the fact that he’d just lead a group of recruits through their joining. He would never get used to the screams. Thankfully, this time only one of the recruits had died. Not like his own where only three out of seven had survived the whole thing. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. It must have shown, because someone put an arm around him.

“You cold?”

“No, I was just thinking back to our joining.”

“Ohh…” Simon said and leaned close. It felt wonderful to have Simon so close. Daniel closed his eyes and breathed in his scent.

“They are getting closer, Simon.” Daniel mumbled, opening his eyes. “I can feel them coming.”

“Me too. Duncan is set to return soon though. He is on his way back with new recruits. Two of them have already arrived, I’ve heard. And besides, the rest of the Order is preparing to march over here. We’ll stop this before it gains momentum, Daniel.”

“So they keep telling me, but the King… He seems too confident that we’ll succeed, but we haven’t faced a large group yet. Only stragglers ahead of the horde.”

“Don’t say that, Daniel. Sure, he is maybe a little over confident, but we have Loghain Mac Tir on our side. Anyone would feel a little more confident with him on our side.” Simon said jokingly and nudged Daniel in his side. This made Daniel smile a little. 

Loghain Mac Tir was a brilliant tactician, that much was true, but Daniel got a different feeling from the man from the few times he’d seen him. He couldn’t really explain it with anything other than that Loghain seemed cold and calculating. Perhaps that’s what happened to a man after decades of fighting… Daniel didn’t want to become like that.

“I’ll take that into consideration,” Daniel said and nudged Simon back before continuing, “I think I’m going to hit the hay soon though. I’m exhausted from today.”

Simon seemed to get the message as he gave Daniel’s shoulder one more squeeze and headed over to the fire to sit with the other Wardens. 

Daniel glanced over at his comrades. Katarina, Saunders Ivo and Tanyl sat around the camp fire, all talking and laughing with the other Wardens. The order in Ferelden had slowly managed to grow in the last few years, doubling their numbers, but finding new recruits had been difficult, to say the least. The Grey Wardens were like a forgotten memory here, with only a handful of people actually knowing or caring about the orders re-establishment in Ferelden. King Maric had been very helpful to spread the word to the other Arlings about the rebuilding of the order, but it had been a very slow process. And even slower once King Maric vanished… They were close to 30 wardens in Ferelden now, Simon and Daniel having recruited six of them during their close to 18 years in the order. There had been others, but the Joining had killed some, while Darkspawn had others.

Daniel gave his fellow wardens one last look before getting up from the tree stump he’d been sitting on for the last hour. 

“Where are you going?” one of the new wardens asked and got up as well. A tall man, with blonde hair and kind eyes. He reminded Daniel about himself, actually. 

“I’m heading to bed. I’m exhausted after today and so should you, Alistair.” Daniel said and started to walk over to the tent area. 

“You too, Daniel.” Alistair said and waved as Daniel walked away from the flickering light of the flames and to the quieter part of camp where most of the warden’s tents had been set up. 

Daniel loosened the straps on his armor as he walked. He was so tired, into the very core of his being. He opened the flap to his and Simon’s tent, smiling weakly when he saw their bedrolls. They had laid them right next to each other, being able to sleep right next to each other made the nights much better.

He carefully lifted off his armor and hanged it on the armor stand. The chest plate, gauntlets and boots were all neatly placed at the stand, leaving Daniel in just his arming doublet. He sighed, dreading to sleep, at least without Simon next to him. He slid under the covers and closed his eyes, praying the dreams wouldn’t be too bad tonight. Like always, they were bad.

He walked an empty stone hall, filled with dusty furniture. He didn’t know how or why he came here, but on the other end of the hall, past the dusty tables, there was a door with a red glow behind it. He didn’t want to open it, not really. But something there called to him. Like a song to distant to hear clearly. With unsure steps, he made his way across the hall, his footsteps echoing. He put his hand on the door and heard the song again. It was truly a beautiful song, reminding him of things long lost that he had to recover, no matter the price! He opened the door and stepped through it, following the eternal tune in his mind.

He walked through a long tunnel with magma flowing down the walls. The Deep Roads, no doubt about it. Around him, people were fighting. A small group of maybe six or seven people, against a hundred darkspawn. He had dreamed this dream so many times. This nightmare. This memory. He saw Karen being brutally cut down by the Hurlock Alpha, and Darien crawling on the floor, desperate to get away, just before his own blade pierced his back. He saw Simon laying in a pool of blood and Aiden screaming at the sight of his brother dying. Daniel wanted to close his eyes, but he knew it wouldn’t help. Aiden’s screams echoed inside his head along with the song, louder and louder and louder. Hands grabbed him from all sides. Hands with sharp claws ripping at his skin… They tightened their grip around him, making it impossible to get away as the screams filled his ears. Daniel opened his eyes in a slight panic. Something was holding him, hugging him…

“It’s alright. I’m here.” The someone whispered softly, hugging Daniel from behind. It was Simon, as always. 

“You always are.” Daniel whispered back and turned to face him. He couldn’t see much in the darkness, but he could see the outline of Simon’s face. Daniel took it into his hands and kissed him for a long time. He broke off the kiss and scooched closer to Simon. The two of them fell asleep soon after. The nightmares weren’t as bad with Simon next to him, but the nightmares always came. 

The following day, Duncan arrived with the last recruit. It was nice to have Duncan with them once again. Their leader and mentor gave them a little hope for the coming battle.

“It’s good to see you, Duncan.” Simon said and gave Duncan a quick hug, while Daniel just shook his hand.

“It’s good to see you two as well.” Duncan said, smiling weakly. “Everyone else is here, then?”

“Yes, the last of us arrived a few days ago,” Simon said and looked Duncan over. “You look tired, Duncan. Have a long trip?”

“Yes, I came from the Coastlands with the latest recruit. There were some… unexpected events.” Duncan sighed.

“Something bad then.” Daniel said, more a statement than a question.

“Yes, but not something that will have a large impact on tomorrow’s battle. What is worse however, is that the King won’t wait for our reinforcements from Orlais.”

“Why won’t he wait?” Simon asked, seemingly confused. Orlais had, after Weisshaupt, the most Wardens available. If the King didn’t wait for them to arrive…

“The King seems to take the advice from Loghain, over our own.” Duncan added with a sigh, “We’re too few in number if the Archdemon should reveal itself.”

“About that,” Daniel added. “The Archdemon hasn’t been seen yet, not by anyone. Are you sur-“

“I am sure.” Duncan said with a weak smile. “I can hear its song, even when I’m awake. This is a Blight, but even if the Archdemon doesn’t reveal itself tomorrow, we have a tough fight ahead of us. You should prepare.”

“I’m sorry, Duncan.” Daniel said and felt the heat on his face. Duncan only smiled and walked towards the camp, leaving Simon and Daniel to their own devices.

Daniel and Simon spent the day preparing. Simon made his bombs and poisons, while Daniel tended to their blades, making sure they were sharp. The other wardens did similar things. Daniel spotted Tanyl fletching arrows and Katarina meditating. He couldn’t see Alistair anywhere though… If he had to guess, Alistair was probably with the new recruits. As the newest Grey Warden, he would chaperone the recruits through their joining.

Saunders Ivo walked over to them and sat down next to Daniel, bringing with him his own greatsword. “It’s always calming to sharpening your sword,” he said and started to sharpen his blade with a small whetstone. “It takes your edge off, especially before a battle. At least it does that for me.”

“Me too.” Daniel said and have Saunders Ivo a quick smile. He didn’t smile much these days, but Saunders Ivo always managed to get one out of him. Not by being funny, as Saunders Ivo had no sense of humor at all, but by his calm honesty, from years of experience. 

“The two of you should take some time, before the battle.” Saunders Ivo said sternly, glancing over at Simon sitting in the distance. Daniel looked surprised up at Saunders Ivo.

“What do you mean-“

“I mean, that the two of you should spend some time together, before it’s too late. This battle won’t be an easy one, not by a longshot.” Saunders Ivo gave him a compassionate look. “Get one last memory together, before you fight tonight.”

Daniel opened and closed his mouth, kind of taken aback by the words coming from Saunders Ivo. It wasn’t really a secret that Simon and him were closer than good friends, and as tents had thin walls, were intimate together. But to hear it from Saunders Ivo, really put things in perspective for him somehow. Saunders Ivo gave his greatsword one last swipe with the whetstone and got back up. 

“I think your swords are sharp enough now. I will send word for you when we need you. Go.”

*************************************************

Simon was tying the end of another sludge bomb. Not really a dangerous bomb by itself, but the sludge was highly flammable, and could help control the battlefield, should it come to that. He had become quite adept with bombs after joining the order. The Grey Warden archives had all sorts of recipes for bombs and poisons, anything to help end a Blight. He placed the sludge bomb amongst the dozens of others, and started on another one, when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. A little surprised, he saw that it was Daniel. He was just about to ask what was wrong, when Daniel leaned in and kissed his neck. Simon closed his eyes and leaned into it. He loved when Daniel did that.

“Let’s get out of here…” Daniel whispered seductively.

Chuckling slightly, Simon opened his eyes and looked into Daniel’s blue. No question about the lust in those eyes. “Where did this come from?” he joked and tried to go back to his work, but Daniel continued to whisper into his ear.

“We’ve done all our preparations. Let’s go to our tent, Simon.”

Simon wasn’t really sure if Daniel was joking or not. They hadn’t done something like this since they joined the camp. He couldn’t say it didn’t sound tempting…  
“What if they need us for something?”

“They’ll send word for us. I’m going to our tent. You can follow, if you want to.” His hand slid down Simon’s chest, though on the outside of his leathers, but the message was clear. Without waiting for Simon to answer, Daniel turned and walked over to their tent on the far side of the camp. Simon sat for a moment and just stared at Daniel walking away, surprised by the turn of events. He gave his bombs a quick look. They could need more… but the growing erection inside his leathers made its point clear.

Crouching slightly to hide his erection as much as possible, he made his way over to the tents. He could see Daniel enter it and look to see where Simon was. When their eyes met, he smiled. A rare sight these days. 

When Simon opened the flap to the tent, Daniel had already started to undress. He had pulled his blue tunic over his head, revealing his muscular chest. He tossed it on the ground, staring at Simon with a seductive grin. Simon didn’t hesitate, but pulled his own tunic off and walked to Daniel and kissed him tenderly. 

“We have all the time in the world…” Daniel whispered and pulled Simon down on the bed. Simon ended up at the bottom as they continued to kiss, first on the lips, but then Daniel moved further down. First Simon’s neck, then chest and stomach. 

“Mmmm…” Daniel almost purred as he undid Simon’s pants, letting his pulsating erection spring free. “It’s been too long…” Daniel whispered before he took Simon’s member into his mouth. 

Simon moaned as he felt the heat of Daniel’s mouth cover the soft skin of his member. Daniel’s skilled tongue licked up and down the shaft and covered every inch of Simon’s hardness with his saliva. It had grown a bit since they started doing this. It had been 18 years since their adventure together started, after all. Now Simon had over seven inches, but still not as long as Daniel though...

“Let me see it…” Simon whispered, almost begging. 

Daniel took Simon’s dick out of his mouth and grinned. “You want it, huh?” 

“Do I really have to ask twice?” Simon chuckled. 

Daniel did as he was told and undid his own trousers, leaving them both completely naked. He crept up Simon’s body, letting his close to eight inch hardness rub all over Simon as he did so. Daniel kissed him once again. “I’ve really missed doing this.”

“Me too…” With one last kiss on the lips, Daniel got to work on Simon’s member again. 

“Ohh… That’s good.” Simon purred, biting his lower lip as Daniel’s tongue swirled around the head and down the shaft.

“Are you ready?” Daniel asked. It was really cute, that even after 18 years together, he would still ask this, as if Simon would ever say no.

“Heck yes!” He almost growled with lust by now. “Put it inside of me, Daniel.”

Daniel didn’t reply, but pulled Simon’s body closer, raising his hips to the point where Simon was almost sitting on top of him. After a few seconds of positioning, Simon felt the head push through and into him. “Ohhh yesss, I’ve really missed this.” He said and leaned in for a kiss. As their lips met, Daniel pushed further in, causing Simon to gasp as the initial pain hit him, but was soon overwhelmed by waves of pleasure.

Daniel let his rod sink all the way inside of Simon, all the way to his sac, before he started moving. He loved to take it slow and build it up for Simon. It was rather funny, but making Simon feel good was almost more important than his own pleasure. Ever since they had started being intimate, Simon had let Daniel take charge, and he rose to the occasion. 

The sound of skin slapping against skin filled their small tent, and their moans echoed as Daniel picked up speed. Simon felt Daniel hit his special spot several times, making him see stars with each thrust. “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll last, Daniel…” Simon whimpered as Daniel’s hardness hit the spot again.

“You want me to pick up the speed?”

“Yes… and harder!”

With one movement, Daniel flipped Simon around and on all fours. That didn’t last long though, as Daniel’s thrusts became almost explosive. Simon felt Daniel’s sac slap against him over and over. He couldn’t take it anymore.  
“I’m going to come…”

“Do it, sweetie…” Daniel panted, grabbing Simon’s hips and almost pulled it all the way out, only to slam it back inside. This motion was all it took. Simon’s body tensed as jets of his seed spurted from his member, covering their bedrolls with white liquid, again. This wasn’t new for the two of them.

As Simon came, his behind tightened its grip around Daniel’s member, causing a new high of pleasure.  
“Oh, Maker…” Daniel mumbled as he felt it build up. “It’s coming…”  
“Inside me!” Simon demanded, still in his own orgasmic bliss.  
“Mmmmmmmmmmm…” Daniel growled as he came inside of Simon. At least eight spurts of his seed was planted deep inside of Simon. As he came, his member became slightly thicker, filling Simon up even more.  
“Oh Daniel… Maker, you’re going to-“ Simon whimpered as he felt himself come once again. Not unusual for the two of them.  
“Simon…” Daniel panted as he started to calm down, coming down from his own orgasmic bliss. Still inside of Simon, the two of them just lay there on their seed covered bedrolls to catch their breath. 

“That might have been one of the best ones we’ve ever done, Daniel…” Simon finally said after several minutes.

“Still doesn’t beat the first time… At Montsimmard.” Daniel chuckled. Their first time at the kitchens of Montsimmard where the two of them finally let their desire for each other lose would always be precious to the two of them.

The two of them shared their bed for a good while longer before they could hear the activity outside the tent start to get intense. A soft knock on the tent wall and Saunders Ivo’s voice let them know it was time.  
“You two should get ready. They’re coming.”

*************************************************

An hour later, Simon and Daniel stood side by side with the rest of Ferelden. The Wardens occupied the first row of fighters, right behind the King and Duncan. Loghain Mac Tir and his own army was to flank the enemy as soon as the signal was shown, a flare from the Tower of Ishal. Two Wardens had been sent to make sure this important task was accomplished. Simon would have wished that someone other than Alistair and this new Warden had been sent. Possibly someone further up the ranks, but it didn’t matter now. Those two Wardens just had to light the flare, and besides, the tower was under guard. What could go wrong?

The first sign that the Darkspawn was closing in on them, was the whispers. The taint that the Wardens and the Darkspawn shared was like a whisper in the air that only they could hear. Every single one of the Wardens tensed up at this sure sign. They were almost upon them.

Simon glanced over at his partner, in his shiny armor. Daniel looked fantastic in heavy plate. Right now, he wore a helm that covered his face, but when his head turned to Simon, he instinctively knew that they both shared the same feeling. Dread. They quickly held each others hands, which helped some, but they could stay like that forever. They had a job to do; to stop the Darkspawn here, at Ostagar. To stop the Blight from ever getting the momentum to destroy the world like it had done in the past.

In the forest in front of them, as silent as ever, the mass of Darkspawn appeared. No drums or shouting to keep them in line. The whispers were all it took. They stopped briefly, as if they were sizing up their opponent, before they charged straight at them.

“This is it…” Daniel said and pulled his sword out from his scabbard. 

“Don’t die…” Simon said just loud enough for just the two of them to hear it.

“I’ll do my best.” Daniel said, with a voice so soft and confident that it lifted Simon’s spirit.

First, the archers did their work, shooting volleys at the charging enemy, before the war hounds charged. As soon as the lines met, the king signaled for the army to attack.

Simon, Daniel and the rest of the Grey Wardens lead the charge against the Darkspawn. Over the years, Simon and the others had fought Darkspawn at many locations, which usually ended with the Darkspawn being pushed back, but this battle was unlike anything Simon had ever experienced. It was one of those battles that you only read about in history books. The Darkspawn’s share numbers overwhelmed the Wardens and the King’s army. They just never stopped coming! 

Covered in black ichor, Simon was fighting in a frenzy, slicing throats and looking for distracted enemies everywhere. There was no real way to co-ordinate at this stage, as the battle had turned into a massacre. He had lost all track of where the others were, but he made sure to stay close to Daniel, covering his back at all times. Daniel on the other hand, did the best he could. Most Darkspawn weren’t skilled fighters, with crude weapons and tactics. Their strength lay in their numbers. Wave after wave of Darkspawn crashed into their line and pushed through. Where was Loghain?!

As a warning, a song echoed inside Simon’s head and he desperately looked around. An Alpha had spotted them and pulled several other Darkspawn with it towards them.

“Daniel!” Simon shouted as he cut down a Hurlock who charged straight at him. “Daniel, look out!”

A flash of light filled the sky, making a lot of the fighters look up. The Tower of Ishal had lit up! Any second now, Loghain would come from the flank and split the Darkspawn up. However, this flash had been a distraction more than anything. The Alpha had arrived with several other lesser Darkspawn. Simon and Daniel went back to back, their best fighting style. After 18 years, they had perfected this fighting technique. Daniel would swipe and rotate with Simon’s own swiped, making the two of them like a whirlwind of blades that cut down anything that came too close. Simon sank his blade deep into the chest of a Hurlock that tried to cut the two of them down, when the world shattered. A fireball had exploded in the distance and the blast from it pushed over everyone in the vicinity. As Simon stumbled onto his feet, he saw Katarina on her knees with two arrows in her chest. Her magica burst uncontrollably from her wounds. Before Simon could even consider what was happening, she was brutally cut down by a swarm of Darkspawn who overwhelmed her. All around them, the wardens were losing… 

“Get up!” Daniel’s voice pulled Simon back to the situation at hand. The Darkspawn around them had gotten back on their feet and resumed their assault on them. As the defenders fell, more and more darkspawn flooded into the battlefield. Soon, Simon and Daniel were the only ones still fighting where they stood. 

“They’re too many!” Simon shouted out in desperation and screamed in pain as a blade sank deep into his side. With a decisive blow, he cut of the head of the Darkspawn responsible, but the damage was done.

“Simon!” Daniel shouted and swirled around to look at him.

“It’s bad…” Simon said through gritted teeth. “We’re not going to make it, are we?”

“I guess we’re not…” Daniel said. Sometime along the battle, his helmet had fallen off his face, revealing his blonde hair and blue eyes. Even through the darkness and chaos around them, those eyes were still shining bright.

“I’m sorry, Daniel. I love you.” Simon said and felt his head become foggy.

“I love you too… Until the end?” Daniel said and reached for Simon’s hand, who took it. Simon got back up on his feet to fight off the horde for as long as possible. The two of them made one last effort to take as many Darkspawn with them as they fell. Simon was the first one to fall, with his wounds and fatigue slowing him down. Daniel protected Simon’s body with all his might, but nothing could stop him from falling as well, as his enemies swarmed him from all sides. In the end, they died side by side, as brothers in arms, lovers and as Grey Wardens.

Together, Simon and Daniel took down close to 50 Darkspawn on their own, but that wouldn’t matter as the battle was lost from the start. Loghain never charged in to save the royal army or the Wardens. The Battle of Ostagar was a disaster, with almost the entire army destroyed, but more importantly, every Warden present died, except from the two who had gone to light the flare at the Tower of Ishal. Those two Wardens would later gather an army of Elves, Dwarves, Mages and Men to fight the Darkspawn and the Archdemon leading them in what was the shortest Blight ever, lasting only a year, compared to previous ones who had lasted decades, even centuries.

Thus ends the story of Simon and Daniel. Their story didn’t have a happy ending, but the ending of a Grey Warden. Most die alone, in dark places, without anyone knowing of the sacrifices they do to keep Ferelden, or Thedas, safe. The Grey Wardens are the only ones standing guard against the Blight, and the only ones capable of stopping them. Because with at least two Old Gods remaining, there is a possibility of two more Blights. As the Grey Warden motto says;  
In War, Victory  
In Peace, Vigilance,  
In Death, Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I've had requests to add an Epilogue for this story, and it's finally done. I'm sorry it has taken so long, but I think it worked out in the end. I have done my best to give my characters the end they deserve, as well as stay true to the original material.  
> I'd love to hear your thoughts on the epilogue and its ending.


End file.
